tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84742767667477896102024-03-04T22:02:55.327-08:00Regina Paul-Author, Artist, IntuitiveUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-36702845492149251522023-12-03T21:03:00.000-08:002023-12-03T21:05:09.694-08:00Advent Calendar 2023<p> Every year I do an advent calendar for my readers. This is one of my favorite holiday things to do. I'm a few days late getting this up, but you shouldn't have any trouble getting access to the last three days. I'm so grateful for all of you that visit my page and download these gifts. Thank you so very much for being here. Have a wonderful holiday and a happy new year! </p><p>Please note all gifts are for personal use only. :-)</p><p><br /></p></p>
<center><iframe src="https://adventmyfriend.com/241191/52b8584896/?embed" width="600" height="400" frameborder="0"></iframe></centerUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-68193625936608590682023-10-22T15:07:00.000-07:002023-10-22T15:07:07.500-07:00Ink and Angst: The Top 3 Hurdles Every Writer Must Clear<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eR81Rh8Qlvt3nqtRdEOiU91ApVe58Tvg5xhAABjmit_HNW5tIk7OtIOXuaxPkoRrA78p63QZzW7hubWOkPjglSODk03BSc8sFe5VsQpkajIXIjsCyjErGWVoKGZ-RlC04Vd4J8hpxntPBRnUTuVf69LQtuWqolAOxKpgaXRSjyy2IX5k-ZI56I2U2uo/s1024/Writer%20on%20her%20computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9eR81Rh8Qlvt3nqtRdEOiU91ApVe58Tvg5xhAABjmit_HNW5tIk7OtIOXuaxPkoRrA78p63QZzW7hubWOkPjglSODk03BSc8sFe5VsQpkajIXIjsCyjErGWVoKGZ-RlC04Vd4J8hpxntPBRnUTuVf69LQtuWqolAOxKpgaXRSjyy2IX5k-ZI56I2U2uo/w480-h640/Writer%20on%20her%20computer.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art created in Leonardo.ai by Regina Paul</td></tr></tbody></table><span><div style="text-align: right;"> l</div></span><p>I really love to write, there is nothing more satisfying to me than typing "The End" when I've finished a novel, or the word "Conclusion" when I've finally got the end of an article. I write both fiction and non-fiction, this is one way that I find balance with my writing and how I give myself breaks in between working on a novel and completing articles for clients or for my own blogs. </p><p>However, there are three things that I think are hurdles that every writer has to contend with. It doesn't really matter what type of writing you do. Anytime you put yourself out there into the public, these hurdles become very easy to spot, and even more difficult at times to deal with.</p><p>1. <b>Self-Doubt. </b>This is one of the biggest hurdles I think that writers have to overcome. The idea that maybe you're not the best writer, or that people won't like what you write can be a real stumbling block to overcome. It can be very easy to fall down the rabbit hole of self-doubt and just stop writing all together if you're not a very strong person emotionally. </p><p>2. <b>Maintaining Discipline.</b> This is another big one for writers because if you're not disciplined with your writing, meaning you adhere to a writing schedule of some kind, then it can be very easy to lose your followers. With the trend towards <a href="https://youtu.be/PbsfZXlbmd8?si=BFatznXUrK0ZkR3w" target="_blank">writing fast</a> and authors in this race of trying to publish at least a book a month, your readers can easily move on to writers that are pumping out books faster than you are. </p><p>3. <b>Building an Audience. </b>I think building an audience is definitely one of the more difficult parts of being a writer. Even if you're with a traditional publisher, they still require you to market your book, and in order to do this you almost have to have some kind of audience. If you don't, then you run the risk of not being able to get a second contract with that publisher. That's not to say that it's impossible to sell books with out an audience, but it's certainly harder. </p><p>So, if you're thinking about being a published author or really any kind of writer, it behooves you to figure out how you're going to solve these three things ahead of time so you can be as successful as possible.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-15533556341345122652023-10-02T07:30:00.002-07:002023-10-02T07:30:00.158-07:00Discover the 5 Must-Read Non-Fiction Gems I Can't Get Enough Of!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PlLQCbMGMBJK7LoKQQMmJRuvvrN_PlfAZg_EaYj2a_KXBuM-xiX3uBA-q91gS9W8w1S79nF2sF9MFT61vRrtjZNkECDUVks6xhUgYV2jzwyCAB4hHarJziqM0p0Qi317Qs3f-29heP76VnYe4bkoqxQNYcBHYGpe02KJ5TWpOQ548iqx-Ovh8WOaYLs/s853/Girl%20Reading%206%20Fixed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="639" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PlLQCbMGMBJK7LoKQQMmJRuvvrN_PlfAZg_EaYj2a_KXBuM-xiX3uBA-q91gS9W8w1S79nF2sF9MFT61vRrtjZNkECDUVks6xhUgYV2jzwyCAB4hHarJziqM0p0Qi317Qs3f-29heP76VnYe4bkoqxQNYcBHYGpe02KJ5TWpOQ548iqx-Ovh8WOaYLs/w480-h640/Girl%20Reading%206%20Fixed.png" width="480" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">I love to read! I mean what author doesn't right? Lately though I've been reading a lot of spiritual non-fiction. As an intuitive I'm always looking for ways to upgrade my skills, ie learn more about my gifts. But that's not all that's here! Anyway, I thought I'd share my top five non-fiction gems. So without further ado, here they are and why I love them so much.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">1. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thank-Grow-Rich-Pam-Grout-ebook/dp/B01FL66LDM" target="_blank">Thank and Grow Rich by Pam Grout</a>. As those who know me know, I am a huge Pam Grout fan, I absolutely love her books! She writes in the self-improvement niche, but she has a very easy going, simple strategy for applying the law of attraction. Where many authors in this genre get bogged down by all the different ways to understand law of attraction, Pam distills it down to a manageable amount of information that anyone can apply to their lives. This particular book focuses on gratitude, and I loved it! If you want a simple way to begin applying the law of attraction to your life, then this is a great book to start. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">2. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ask-Your-Guides-Calling-Everything-ebook/dp/B086SCJDKG" target="_blank">Ask Your Guides by Sonia Choquette</a>. This is one of my absolute favorite books chock full of personal stories and stories from her clients about connecting with their guides and angels and how you can too! I've always loved the idea of angels even though I'm Native American and follow much of my people's traditions. Funny thing was I was never really able to figure out where or how angels fit in. While as an intuitive I know I have angels, for some years I was conflicted about how to fit them into my belief system. Reading this book helped me with that. If you're at all interested in receiving guidance from the divine this is a fabulous book to read.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;">3. <span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Five-Lessons-Life-Extraordinary-Experiences/dp/B09FS892PV" target="_blank">The Five Lessons of Life: A True Life Story about an Ordinary Woman who Survived Two Extraordinary Near Death Experiences. Her Remarkable Secrets of Both Heaven and Hell are Finally Being Revealed!</a> by Carrie Kohan. I really enjoyed this book. I've always been interested in the near death experience and I'm fascinated by how each experience is unique to the person, but yet there are also similar themes. If you also enjoy reading about NDE's or hearing others describe their NDE's then you will enjoy this book as well.</span></span></p><p>4. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Manifesting-Your-Magical-Life-Practical-ebook/dp/B096LQYBRW" target="_blank">Manifesting Your Magical Life: A Practical Guide to Everyday Magic with the Angels</a> by Radleigh Valentine. Yup, another book on how to connect and work with your angels. This book was fun to read, and the exercises were fun to practice though I didn't do all of them. If you enjoy reading about an author's own life experiences with working with his angels, then you'll enjoy this book as much as I did. </p><p>5. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BQCMZMRT/" target="_blank">Slow Living: The Secrets to Slowing Down and Noticing the Simple Joys Anywhere (Decorating Book for Homebodies, Happiness Book)</a> by Helena Woods. Oh, man, for a woman that has barely reached her thirties, Helena is a very wise woman. If you're interested in slowing down, enjoying life, and figuring out what your true values and priorities are then you don't want to miss this book. It is probably has the most extensive explanation of slow living and the best tips for how to get started in my opinion of all the books out there. I loved it so much I reviewed it on Amazon! </p><p>So, there you have my top five non-fiction reads! I hope you find something here that you might like to read too! </p><p>PS There are no affiliate links in this post, just great books! :-)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-90831155715624055742023-07-30T07:00:00.001-07:002023-07-30T07:00:00.151-07:00Unedited Excerpt from Ryan's Guardian...<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoKdJhkFMi_MPyvvmYimLA_NP9FZPDEaf8BJ4zrwDTr4OdcEayAeFiL9OHZ3pN051gMrZCvK57fAcmaobjcranfXD0j2BfRl3eDOBjla93YoQdcW_XPm_WqP6w_PHHiiQ6lW6H_-ME4B5wnvVk6dsHvGrZi0kxwHaf1Ktguh3ZrWQGT_hDMPmVENZXhQ/s2304/Val.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoKdJhkFMi_MPyvvmYimLA_NP9FZPDEaf8BJ4zrwDTr4OdcEayAeFiL9OHZ3pN051gMrZCvK57fAcmaobjcranfXD0j2BfRl3eDOBjla93YoQdcW_XPm_WqP6w_PHHiiQ6lW6H_-ME4B5wnvVk6dsHvGrZi0kxwHaf1Ktguh3ZrWQGT_hDMPmVENZXhQ/w426-h640/Val.jpg" title="Val from Ryan's Guardian" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Val from Ryan's Guardian by Regina Paul.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Val’s blue eyes twinkled at him before he answered for John. “That’s easy, Ryan. We’re going to tell them I’m your new <mark class="ql-spelling">manny</mark>.”</p><p class="indented">“My new what?”</p><p class="indented">“Your new <mark class="ql-spelling">manny</mark>. That way I can stay close to you and Megan, and your ex if he sees me shouldn’t be suspicious.”</p><p class="indented">“He’s a psychopath, Val. Trust me he’s going to be suspicious. I haven’t dated anyone in the years since the divorce and I know even from prison he was tracking me.”</p><p class="indented">“What do you mean, Son?” John asked, his voice sounding as if he’d swallowed gravel.</p><p class="indented">Ryan sighed. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry, but there has been the occasional out-of-place looking guy watching me from time to time. They never approached me, but they weren’t hard to spot. Michael clearly still has connections on the outside and he has been using them to keep tabs on me.”</p><p class="indented">“Oh, Son, you should have told me. We would have gotten a bodyguard sooner.”</p><p class="indented">The disappointment in his dad’s voice nearly killed him, but Ryan knew that making too much of the weirdos watching him from time to time would have just alerted Michael to the fact he’d noticed them, and he didn’t want to give his ex the satisfaction. As long as it was just the occasional watcher, and nothing else happened he was willing at least for the time being to let things be. Now though? He didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t just the occasional unsavory watcher watching him, now Michael was out and he had to protect Megan.</p><p class="indented">“I’m sorry, Dad, but I didn’t want to alert him that I knew and suddenly having a bodyguard or bodyguards would have alerted him. They never did anything, just watched me and I’m sure reported back to Michael.”</p><p class="indented">“Actually I think it’s a good thing you waited.” Val spoke to ease some of the tension.</p><p class="indented">“What do you mean?” John asked.</p><p class="indented">“Ryan has a good point. Since he didn’t do anything, his ex will assume he didn’t see them. He’ll think Ryan’s guard is down. I’d rather have him think that than we’re on to him. He might try something crazy if he thinks you know he’s planning something. I’d rather have him think you’re ignorant. It gives us the upper hand.”</p><p class="indented">“Alright, but I don’t have to like it.”</p><p class="indented">Ryan watched a slow easy smile form on Val’s face. When he turned it on him, Ryan could feel his cheeks heat.</p><p class="indented">“No John. You don’t have to like it. But as I said it gives us the upper hand.”</p><p class="indented"><em>That smile should be declared illegal. </em></p><p class="indented">Ryan cleared his throat. “So, let’s sign a contract.”</p><p class="indented">“Yes, lets.” </p><p class="indented"><br /></p><p class="indented">(c) Copyright 2023 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-44905493326602173702023-04-29T22:06:00.002-07:002023-04-29T22:06:22.785-07:00The Mirror Image<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTzAC4Tr4E8Rrg-PpbeLwp8PSCqGW_vtHoBEo9t5yKQmJgfMbj3GZdkRIA0DacokaZ03wCljLsMS66TEsR-Y1EFzqOg6M6aWC_TsB5VrVonP_yxdQEOUnSkv2miUZu_39MecZCeije9xg_VM7XK5xgKe_UivYNv5JbOEpBAelszgHZh9-emFljlAq/s512/Corgi%20no%20watermark.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjTzAC4Tr4E8Rrg-PpbeLwp8PSCqGW_vtHoBEo9t5yKQmJgfMbj3GZdkRIA0DacokaZ03wCljLsMS66TEsR-Y1EFzqOg6M6aWC_TsB5VrVonP_yxdQEOUnSkv2miUZu_39MecZCeije9xg_VM7XK5xgKe_UivYNv5JbOEpBAelszgHZh9-emFljlAq/w400-h400/Corgi%20no%20watermark.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cute Corgi by Regina Paul.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Have you ever been afraid, I mean well and truly afraid? I have, in fact if I'm not careful I live in fear a lot of the time. Fear is often my default and in fact I'm sure I'm not the only one who lives by fear. Fear of what's going to happen next, (what if it's bad?). Fear of all the what ifs. Sometimes I just get scared for no reason, and I know I am not alone in this. We all deal with fear at one time or another whether that is fear of not having enough money, or love or success or you name it. </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Here's the thing though, when you allow fear to be your default, then all you draw to yourself are things to be afraid of. That's right, you will then only draw things to be afraid of. Some call this the "law of attraction" and I suppose that's as good a name for it as any. I prefer what my husband calls "the mirror image," a term he uses for a teaching he learned from his relatives who are both Nez Perce and Lakota. What this means is that what you show to the world ie what you send out, the world shows or mirrors back to you. Angry about something? Then expect that you're going to have something show up in your life that makes you angry. In fact, as long as you show or mirror anger to the world then the world is going to mirror back that emotion to you. On the flip side if what you are sending out is love, or peace, or healing then you in turn will receive those things back from the people, situations and so on that you come into contact with. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I can give you a great example of this. So last week on Wednesday something happened at work that made me feel very betrayed and as if I was not being listened to, that made me feel powerless. Guess what happened over the next few days? The universe mirrored back to me something that made me feel powerless and betrayed. You are going to laugh when you hear what it was! </p><p style="text-align: justify;">So what happened? One of my neighbors dogs shit and peed all over around my front door, not just one day but three days in a row. The first day it happened I was still really made when I went to the bus stop to go to work. Guess what happened? Another thing to make me feel angry and betrayed. My bus never came. I waited for a solid thirty minutes for my bus to come, my app kept saying it was coming and the really funny thing was, it actually at one point said it had arrived. All while I was standing there waiting for it. Every other bus imaginable eventually came, but the one I needed to get to work on time. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">I had to laugh on the bus ride to the light rail because I knew I had simply manifested what I had been feeling the day before. So, instead of getting mad I just tried to relax on way my to the light rail. I knew I was going to be very late to work, so I called and everyone at work know that needed to know and continued to try and relax. I honestly hate riding the light rail in Seattle. There are always homeless people sleeping in the cars, and we've even had people smoking Fentanyl which is scary. But even worse is it doubles and sometimes triples the amount of time it takes me to get to work. Nevertheless, I finally made it to work.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">All day my intuition was pinging saying that this was not going to be the only incident with the dog leaving "presents" all around my front door. Of course when I woke up Friday and looked just as I "feared" the dog had left me several "presents." </p><p style="text-align: justify;">My worst fear though was that I was going to have to clean up after the animal myself on Saturday because on that day there is no maintenance crew on manager on site. Sure enough upon awakening on Saturday morning, the dog had again left his or her calling card. So, I put on my gloves and grabbed a roll of paper towels and a plastic bag so I could go and clean up the mess the dog had made for the third time. Needless to say I was not a happy camper! Feelings of anger, fear and powerlessness were running through me. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">But then my intuition pinged again. What if there was some substance that would be harmless to the dog but that I could spray around my front door to keep the dog from doing his business there. A few typed words on Google gave me the answer, or rather several choices, rubbing alcohol, vinegar or ammonia. I already have rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle (don't ask why! LOL) in my apartment. So instead of feeling angry, powerless and upset, I listened to my intuition and found something that will hopefully keep the dog away from my front door tonight. Once I had a possible solution that I could easily apply, my anger, and feelings of helplessness dialed down several knotches. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">How has the "mirror image" played out in your life? I'd love to hear your stories! </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-50029598649300680512023-04-08T19:18:00.001-07:002023-04-08T19:18:03.037-07:00My New Website Design<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_WckeCxACeZGFXFamk4Ep1o2fJhQOLgPkUT3djxeZatWKDJGvopq8nm0Z-5XwZ4KMMYEUMqcL3yZdP2_yz7ACRl-oa-WoRFCVoyZNPhzrOq-ORGacxQsMBvpC5HoId7c03Hn42nsVRbsqJwUCrq1-CP-7QhwLT-_61Ni26DfKKWnaPwhaOfFYeV_/s1200/My%20New%20Website%20Design.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_WckeCxACeZGFXFamk4Ep1o2fJhQOLgPkUT3djxeZatWKDJGvopq8nm0Z-5XwZ4KMMYEUMqcL3yZdP2_yz7ACRl-oa-WoRFCVoyZNPhzrOq-ORGacxQsMBvpC5HoId7c03Hn42nsVRbsqJwUCrq1-CP-7QhwLT-_61Ni26DfKKWnaPwhaOfFYeV_/w427-h640/My%20New%20Website%20Design.jpg" width="427" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You'll notice I have a brand new website design. I'm really happy with this simple, but elegant design. The reason for my wanting to change the design is that I've been wanting to change my branding for a while now. While I still write romance and will continue to do so because let's face it I love to write and romance is my favorite, I've also been working on other projects for the last few years, and I want to be able to share them with you all in one place. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm altering my branding to include my low content books which are under the Blessed Creations Stationary imprint. You'll find the link to this imprint's Amazon page under books. I've also added links to my Ko-Fi store and my Redbubble store where you'll find my printables and POD products respectively. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been writing articles on Medium for nearly three years. So, if you're interested topics like slow living, AI, making money online, book promotion, mental health and spirituality then I encourage you to check out my profile. Most of my articles are behind the Medium paywall, but you can read I believe it's three articles a month for free. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, I've added a Spiritual link on my website. I've been doing readings for friends and family for years and have decided to open this up to my community as well. I don't plan on charging for these readings which I'll do using my own oracle card deck however, I will make it possible for you to give a donation if you find the reading useful but it won't be required. The details haven't been solified yet, I will post on here and social media when I'm ready to begin doing readings. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope you enjoy the new simplified design. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-83289271070083271412023-01-22T15:57:00.002-08:002023-01-22T15:57:47.307-08:00Cover Reveal: New Cover for The Last Jumper!<p>It seems like forever since I posted here, probably because it was! LOL I have a brand new cover for The Last Jumper that I wanted to share and I love it! I think the new cover personifies Rain my main character so much more than the previous cover did. Don't get me wrong I loved the previous cover too, but this time I actually was able to put together a cover that actually looks like my main character but still gives off the scif/fantasy vibes I wanted as well. What do you think? Do you like it as much as I do? Feel free to comment!</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJySypvN4GexTbZTXBYFZs0o0WW3HbuTdL0ivvShaodh--WVp_-dZrOK8n8sB8P0pBGDdIDliFzFya6z_Qzrsiuqs7vLdSYpKpL6uZ0LohhWgOfAUDcwd5MPxxOe7GQNBAG5zUTkyHPeCJ9Y_zdK5RfQhIKozeOn4Sd350MlTq5GXMoJ3NgMh5bj18/s4800/Final%20Rain%20Cover%20for%20The%20Last%20Jumper%20Final%202%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4800" data-original-width="3300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJySypvN4GexTbZTXBYFZs0o0WW3HbuTdL0ivvShaodh--WVp_-dZrOK8n8sB8P0pBGDdIDliFzFya6z_Qzrsiuqs7vLdSYpKpL6uZ0LohhWgOfAUDcwd5MPxxOe7GQNBAG5zUTkyHPeCJ9Y_zdK5RfQhIKozeOn4Sd350MlTq5GXMoJ3NgMh5bj18/w440-h640/Final%20Rain%20Cover%20for%20The%20Last%20Jumper%20Final%202%202022.jpg" width="440" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-34160108207402415332022-02-02T15:51:00.008-08:002022-02-02T16:28:09.647-08:00Regina Reviews: Blindspot by A.M. Rose<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blindspot-Daydream-Colorado-Book-1-ebook/dp/B08NZ1326C" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfJparI5VCDHjVPn8cbi-c68ABGsc84Aa1kBi3G_2FORpqHT4vljCc6mLzks9dTr8R4W3LvVidyZcX8s-2UqOqPrFRja1vl9S8xGR4dJxXbw6hd1-k763YFwd4FVKgmkf59GGlnHhPDZTy5QRZrhsUnvtpMd6d3N0q2Exj5m45x5LICpGqt6wPc1rj=s320" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Title: Blindspot</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>Author: A.M. Rose</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>Genre: M/M Paranormal Fantasy Romance</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large;"><b>Rating: 4 Eagle Feathers</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5CECToYudaXHTY6kJD4DkHEawqbjZ7R8zlK4RsHIZ7sJb2z1xwNUR9-r8w37ctW8lnX5T9GNsqCxvyu1h3NWDaxjqlm9CndjSAgRkNVjPSWhCW50QKELjV6BhoPTauSna13wS_urfF5HY19JFu_jcvFHVdo_vSWJtC_q1H8JI179KOBogDn6q-TQ0=s175" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="175" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5CECToYudaXHTY6kJD4DkHEawqbjZ7R8zlK4RsHIZ7sJb2z1xwNUR9-r8w37ctW8lnX5T9GNsqCxvyu1h3NWDaxjqlm9CndjSAgRkNVjPSWhCW50QKELjV6BhoPTauSna13wS_urfF5HY19JFu_jcvFHVdo_vSWJtC_q1H8JI179KOBogDn6q-TQ0=w320-h183" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Drew is a non-magical person born to people with magic, and who grew up in a town full of people with magic. His parents and brother make him feel that he is not "good enough" because he does not have magic. His parents in particular consult many experts in magic to try and find a way to fix him. But when his parents bring a forbidden grimoire into the house, and his older brother finds it, things are set into motion that are not in Drew's best interests.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Mason is the boy with magic who is Drew's best friend. Of all the people in Daydream, Mason knows Drew is exactly as he should be, and loves him whether he has magic or not. But Mason has serious abandonment issues because his parents left him behind when they decided to go traveling without him when he was fifteen. Fortunately for him, Orson and his wife take Mason in and finish raising him. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">When Drew and Mason are in their early twenties their relationship changes when Mason admits to Drew that he is in love with him. While Drew feels the same, he has been living for years with the dark magical fallout of being be-spelled with dark magic by his older brother and his brother's two best friends. When his brother Troy dies, and his best friends disappear, his parents will not listen to him when he tries to tell them what Troy did. Unfortunately, even his love for Mason is not enough to keep him in Daydream so he leaves after their first physical encounter, and Mason's confession of love.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Fast forward ten years later and Drew's parents have found him by using a private investigator. While they are desperate to make amends, Drew wants none of it and is angry that his parents have asked him to return home. He does not plan on staying long and considers this a "get in and get out" trip. But destiny has other ideas in the form of his first love, Mason. Mason is not happy to see Drew and does his best to keep his distance, but in spite of the years between them, the love is still there for both of them. While Mason works hard to shore up his defenses against Drew, Drew just wants to tell him the truth about what happened to him and why he left. But he can't because the dark magic Troy used prevents him from doing so, and when he tries actually causes him physical pain.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Will Drew be able to find a way to break the dark spell? Will Mason forgive Drew for leaving when he finally discovers why? Will they get back together, or will Drew return to the non-magical world?</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555555;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I really enjoyed reading this m/m magical fantasy romance! The characters are very realistic and I felt as if I knew Drew and Mason quite well before I was even half-way through the book. The emotions in the book had me on a roller coaster from the get-go. I just wanted to hug both of them so bad! The love scenes were very emotional and just the right degree of explicit. If you love m/m fantasy romance with some fun magical realism, then you don't want to miss out on Blindspot! I for one can't wait to return to Daydream in the next book, Heartwood!</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-67343495644614011262020-09-08T12:23:00.000-07:002020-09-08T12:23:18.136-07:00Regina Reads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKlhltlRAXr5cU6ECS2h8edQg1BTAQDpeDdoXGk3wnNK9UjFi6Rb0ARGOHxIqPBMqRxYnVgm0_nPvyxDnIcYAyjuoc7NHHbSfDczk1WjAyFCCBOmYRibUz9o9s096H2b84qre-rjGs3w/s2048/image-from-rawpixel-id-2311451-jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcKlhltlRAXr5cU6ECS2h8edQg1BTAQDpeDdoXGk3wnNK9UjFi6Rb0ARGOHxIqPBMqRxYnVgm0_nPvyxDnIcYAyjuoc7NHHbSfDczk1WjAyFCCBOmYRibUz9o9s096H2b84qre-rjGs3w/w320-h180/image-from-rawpixel-id-2311451-jpeg.jpg" title="photo by rawpixel" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I thought it would be cool to share with you some of what I read during this last week. There is so much lovely content out there and not all of it is fiction, although a good portion of my reading time is spent reading fiction. Feel free to share what you've been reading in the comments! </p><p>I've been reading more content on Medium, because I want to support my fellow non-fiction writers there and also I write for Medium as well. </p><p>Here are a few of the Medium articles I really enjoyed this week:</p><p><a href="https://medium.com/better-marketing/how-my-friend-made-400k-from-selling-an-insanely-simple-ebook-3c40ad6a5bb8" target="_blank">How My Friend Made $400 K from Selling an Insanely Simple E-book</a></p><p><a href="https://medium.com/the-brave-writer/writers-youve-got-to-get-good-sleep-7167af950f43" target="_blank">Writers: You've Got to Get Good Sleep</a></p><p><a href="https://medium.com/better-marketing/my-2-250-writing-day-routine-2bf7ceeae0a7" target="_blank">My $2,250 Writing Day Routine</a></p><p><br />And now on to what fiction I've been reading this week. Stay tuned for a review on at least one of these soon!</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/My-Highland-Laird-Sci-Regency-Book-ebook" target="_blank">My Highland Laird by J.L. Langley (Sci-Regency Series)</a> Sooooo good!! I just finished this one day before yesterday and this series is just like cotton candy, I can't read them fast enough as they come out! Look for a review on this one for sure soon. </p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dim-Sum-Asylum-Rhys-Ford-ebook/dp/B06XBCN3R9" target="_blank">Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford</a> This was my third Rhys Ford book and it was really good!</p><p><br /></p><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8);"><h1 class="gu gv gw gx b gy gz ha hb hc hd he hf hg hh hi hj hk hl hm hn cp" id="645d" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #292929; font-size: 40px; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 48px; margin: 0.78em 0px -0.27em;"><br /></h1></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-58704041459683663112020-08-06T12:29:00.004-07:002020-08-06T15:38:59.705-07:00Regina Reviews: Diagnosis Wolf by Macy Blake<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsO8aSLE0VtT9i6Qzu4dA70XzvQf9SPhL3_S_gjoPvTYjwY_-O9eZEUolv06Bj1edW4CuKwswNDcwSte0laLlyW3e3Di3f-qY2P7PgohWib28FpZglP7ZvnSpqQezADGMKpKsw_cnCnU/s175/4+Eagle+Feathers.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="175" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWsO8aSLE0VtT9i6Qzu4dA70XzvQf9SPhL3_S_gjoPvTYjwY_-O9eZEUolv06Bj1edW4CuKwswNDcwSte0laLlyW3e3Di3f-qY2P7PgohWib28FpZglP7ZvnSpqQezADGMKpKsw_cnCnU/w343-h195/4+Eagle+Feathers.jpg" width="343" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Title: Diagnosis Wolf</div><div style="text-align: left;">Author: Macy Blake</div><div style="text-align: left;">Genre: M/M Paranormal Fantasy Romance</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rating: 4 Eagle Feathers</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Diagnosis-Wolf-Paranormal-Fantasy-Romance-ebook/dp/B08BHVM4RL/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYyJFLbs76x49g3judUducaWApnL5yHh7CHwQ0TjUoKaY9ESLERobmbHhwPaxq47dWxULoBvP1Gphu_eRMx31WJccOoxovCLn25CZ__SfZ0RvTNSBqiPOb3tQ2M_vqlINVexZBCziXoo/s0/Dianosis+Wolf+by+Macy+BlakeL.jpg" /></a></div>Andrew is a nurse who is on the edge. His younger brother has robbed him blind for ten thousand dollars, and he doesn't have a steady job. His temp agency hasn't called in a week, and he's getting desperate since he wants nothing more than to pay off the mountain of debt that his brother has created for him. Since he is unwilling to press charges against Danny for fraud, Andrew has to deal with the mess his brother has created in his life.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Caleb is very sick and getting sicker which is odd because he's a werewolf. While there are some things that can take a werewolf down, there aren't many. Even when a werewolf does become ill they are usually able to shift and this can make them better, but Caleb isn't getting better and he can't shift. Something will have to give soon, or Caleb could die.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When Andrew's temp agency finally calls with a job, he is ecstatic until he hears that none of the nurses they've sent have made it past the front door. The job pays three times what Andrew normally makes, and he is determined to be the nurse that makes it past the front door. However, when he arrives things are a bit strange. He can hear a dog growling in the room, there is no medical chart, and no one seems to know what is wrong with his patient. Deciding that it's not worth it to get into it with the patient's bodyguards, Andrew is on his way out the door when he meets his patient's father. The man convinces him to try the job for three days, and if they haven't been able to convince him to stay and take care of Caleb then he can quit. Andrew really needs the money and allows himself to be convinced. But only on the condition that he doesn't have to have much contact with the man's bodyguards. His patient's father agrees and sends the bodyguards away. Andrew does what he does best and to the best of his ability takes care of his patient. The fact the man even sick is gorgeous, as well as the fact that he is inappropriately attracted to said patient, keeps him around. And the attraction is mutual, leading to a very hot kiss. But Caleb and his family are hiding something, something that might be too much for the all too human Andrew. When it becomes apparent that on top of all that, Caleb's brother Danny is in big trouble and that trouble intersects with Caleb's trouble, it's almost too much for Andrew to take. Will Andrew be able to accept what Caleb is? Can he save Danny without sacrificing his growing relationship with Caleb?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I really enjoyed reading Diagnosis Wolf by Macy Blake. This book is well worth reading if you enjoy m/m paranormal romance. The love scenes are emotional, and the budding instalove between the two has just enough conflict to keep the reader interested. The characters are well written and very easy to relate to making this an easy favorite. Plus who can resist a happy ending? I'm happy to recommend this delightful story. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-976784334807895222020-07-27T07:00:00.004-07:002023-08-19T23:10:21.832-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6sHz6_g-LX0MaYmLnfFOFMWlhT_uL8Wp41m76Wr20DTrAxD0T6vJWXWSisYX9szMyVFx4SDYXXV8V3ZMLKZ-jv5yuUihvWy8pIQDPwlmCKXwuIEw85x1sqrhOWpFyYrTFDmJgrMx4R0/s2250/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6sHz6_g-LX0MaYmLnfFOFMWlhT_uL8Wp41m76Wr20DTrAxD0T6vJWXWSisYX9szMyVFx4SDYXXV8V3ZMLKZ-jv5yuUihvWy8pIQDPwlmCKXwuIEw85x1sqrhOWpFyYrTFDmJgrMx4R0/w393-h625/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" width="393" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I dropped down to a B in one of my main accounting classes. I'm so depressed about that, I've been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA until now but I think this thing with Sarah is going to take up more of my time than I originally thought. Still I have to help her and in order to help her I have to learn more about the Fae which is requiring me to do a lot of reading. The book that Barbara gave me is seriously long. I've only read about a hundred pages but the font is so small that it's the equivalent of reading old English. It's driving me nuts!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm taking a break. If I try to read one more sentence I'm going to be on brain overload. The Fae are not a nice bunch overall. According to the book, they're deceitful, tricky and on some occasions can be downright mean. Makes me glad that I'm mostly human, I can't say I want to claim any of them including my illustrious ancestor whoever he might be. Of course honestly it could be a she, not like the Fae are even remotely maternal from what the book says. In fact, think T-Rex on steroids. They're either so overly protective that they smother their child and have been known to smother a child if said child didn't do what they want. Yeah, most likely a male Fae knocked up one of my ancestors and then went on his merry way. Such a depressing thought.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I must've fallen asleep because when I woke up it was dark outside and the only light from a nightlight I'd plugged in earlier. I hated the dark. I frequently woke up from night terrors as a child, many involving something bad happening to Sarah, so some kind of light to push back the dark is necessary. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not sure what woke me up, but then I hear this sound. I listen for a few minutes, it almost sounds like...scratching? The longer I listen the louder it gets. I put my hands over ears to drown out the awful scratching sound. I don't know why but I must find and silence the sound. I get up and begin stumbling around, stopping here and there to see if I can tell where the sound is coming from. It seems like no matter where I go in my tiny abode, I cannot find the source of the terrifying sound. Some distant part of me is screaming at me to find it and silence it. I turn in a circle and then...there! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am facing the full length mirror I purchased when I was in high school and going through a "fashion" faze. The disturbing sound was coming from the mirror! I reached out to touch the surface when a god awful voice came from it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Touch the portal, Princess. All you need do is touch it and step through where I will be waiting for you." What made the voice so awful was that it was like two voices at once. One that sounded like nails being pulled down a chalkboard and one cultured and smooth, sexy even.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have this overwhelming urge to touch the now black surface of the mirror, to just step through into the darkest of nights. There is a part of me screaming in the back of mind but I am helpless against the force of that voice. "Just another step, Princess, just one more." The two voices blended perfectly and I could feel its triumph as against my will my arm lifted and my hand stretched out towards the mirror. Just as I am about to touch it...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hear a zipping sound as though an arrow is flying through the air and past my right ear. <i>No Leilani, don't touch the mirror. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sam crashes into me from my right, knocking my arm and hand away from the mirror and I stumble backwards. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Leave her be! </i>Sam hisses, one paw up with his claws extended in front of the mirror. I shake my head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Sam?" I whisper, trying to figure out how my feline friend made it to my home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Oh, look at this, the illustrious Sam. You can't save her you know." The voice was fully the awful gravely, horrid voice that I heard before underneath the suave voice.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>She is not for the likes of you!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I watch, my feet frozen to the floor as a hand gnarled with age and tipped with long sharp yellow fingernails reaches through the black surface of the mirror towards Sam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Not today! </i>Sam snarled and reaching out he jabbed his claws into the hand, pulling back until he drew blood in the form of three long bloody scratches.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The voice growled and pulled its hand back through the mirror leaving a streak of blood on the black surface. The surface rippled once before it smoothed out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sam began chanting in a language I've never heard before. "Sam what are you doing?" I whispered. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Sealing the portal so he can't come back through.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Who is he?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>An enemy.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Is it the guy who has Sarah?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>No.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sam tapped the mirror surface three times and I was looking at a silver surface again which had the image of my friend Sam.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>You need to wake up now, Leliani, wake up!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I sit up in bed with a gasp. A dream, it was just a dream. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something moves at my feet and there is Sam licking one of his paws. He shivers, <i>Nasty taste, Fae blood.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Okay, so not a dream exactly. I'm so confused.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>You're right, it wasn't a dream exactly. Barbara had a premonition that there was more going on here than meets the eye, so she sent me through one of her mirrors to help you. Unfortunately, the only mirror available was the one in your compact. I'm afraid I shattered it when I came through because it was closed.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I reached forward and pulled Sam into my arms. "That's okay. I can always replace a compact. You saved me, thank you Sam." I hug him tightly to my chest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sam nuzzles my face. <i>No problem. </i>He purrs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I lay back down, Sam cuddled to my chest. Just before I drift off, I hear laughing, you know the kind the villain has when he thinks he's won.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I wake up in the morning, Sam is gone, but so is the compact that was sitting on the table beside my bed. And the mirror? Well the mirror looks just as it always has until I get up and look more closely. There is a small drop of dried blood on the far left surface. I leave it there. If I'm right, it's part of the spell that Sam wove to keep the mirror from being a portal and blocking out whoever tried to lure my me through it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And the book on the Fae, it is exactly where I left it at the end of my bed, only it's open to a page titled,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"How to Deflect the Magic of a Fae." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It appears that Sam and Barbara want me to read that section next. But first? First I have to get ready for class and work in the afternoon. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I head for the shower to start my day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Are you enjoying this free F/F Fantasy Romance Serial? If so please help me get out the word by sharing this pin on one of your pinterest boards. Thank you!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dzNQgKmdpbtK4haokNtGjUnPSTafeBJ0Bo-RY1YLIypV5A2N7LL64DAexTXZO1_pZVcaE8k5dyWLYHGN9N7G__2AsBY5IIO1WvhL3xqBCc_9o7qoQm_cNGidNJUJYKSbxUF0fhSCVfE/s864/Wolf+Dreams+Free+Romance+Serial+Pins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="576" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dzNQgKmdpbtK4haokNtGjUnPSTafeBJ0Bo-RY1YLIypV5A2N7LL64DAexTXZO1_pZVcaE8k5dyWLYHGN9N7G__2AsBY5IIO1WvhL3xqBCc_9o7qoQm_cNGidNJUJYKSbxUF0fhSCVfE/s320/Wolf+Dreams+Free+Romance+Serial+Pins.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-27786747895680783482020-07-25T08:00:00.007-07:002020-07-26T13:58:56.311-07:00Regina Reviews: Luckless by Cari Z.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAObRkcI2QUEFqD6qXAs6Mr0fhPiM781U819c8w9qGdRJ5iRlq0a14S0TUI-6SQkkTv-YUgtm3ijYCg3KCFn8KM4haqS8wzfOms6LmDiGywrMMZmAgjQ0bo0LcWSblFUyFDfV4R5jQylI/s400/Dream+Catcher.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAObRkcI2QUEFqD6qXAs6Mr0fhPiM781U819c8w9qGdRJ5iRlq0a14S0TUI-6SQkkTv-YUgtm3ijYCg3KCFn8KM4haqS8wzfOms6LmDiGywrMMZmAgjQ0bo0LcWSblFUyFDfV4R5jQylI/s320/Dream+Catcher.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Review:</b></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Luckless-Cari-Z-ebook/dp/B088WG8ZLQ" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bY1IQB4Dqq1xTkpncFnYZMZZoiWxnoV_LobHRAPDVqEhjQBeJNr5N-eKRzPmGAX4BNdKCbqLsaW45q-zfBTqWUDzhxd8moTZJDAnpkruFjC2nZNloa7KQWhG0xquZITjk5FNiXLeqOU/s320/Luckless+by+Cari+Z.jpg" /></a></div>Evan Luck lives in an post apocalyptic world where monsters are real. The only thing standing between humanity and the monsters are the dragon riders. Five years ago Evan lost his dragon during a battle in which his father, and their entire city were destroyed. Evan was the only survivor. Now he makes a living as a smithy making arrows for the other dragon riders in the city of Forge. Lonely and called Luckless by many who know him, and who dislike him because he lost his dragon, he is just doing his best to survive.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lee Caldwell and his son are newcomers to Forge. Secretive and quiet, Lee sees something in Evan that most don't and gives him the respect that he feels Evan deserves, despite losing his dragon. While Lee befriends Evan, and even makes him his son's teacher, he is still careful about how much information he shares with him about himself.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Evan goes to the Choosing where it's possible he could bond with a new dragon, the emotional devastation is very real. Rather than face a possible new dragon bond, he turns his back on the last dragon to choose someone and sees a pale haired man and young boy. He doesn't know if they are there because the boy may be someone who could bond with a dragon or if they are just there to observe. He gets caught staring when the boy waves at him. Not long after this encounter, the man seeks Evan out. Evan is nervous when Lee offers to feed him lunch and talk to him about some favor he wants from Evan. It turns out that Lee wants Evan to train his son Jason in fighting techniques. Since Jason is an empath there is a high likelihood he will bond with a dragon and become a dragon rider when he is old enough. Evan is stunned and admits right away that he lost his own dragon, but unlike the rest of Forge, Lee does not blame Evan for the loss. Evan agrees to train Jason and the longer he works with Jason and gets to know Lee, the more Evan wants him, but he knows Lee is hiding something from him and he doesn't like it. When something attacks Forge from below, the governor sends Evan on a mission. Between the secrets, his own growing feelings for Lee and the monsters trying to get to the city from below, Evan has a lot on his plate. Will Evan survive his mission and find out what Lee is hiding from him?</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the first book I've read by Cari Z, but I LOVED it!! Ms. Z takes her time to build the bond between Evan and Lee. This slow burn fantasy romance is one of the best I've read and I highly recommend it! The world building is spectacular, and the author keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. In fact, I could not figure out what Lee was hiding from Evan and no one was more surprised that me when I finally found out! You don't want to miss Luckless, and if you're fortunate enough to have a Kindle Unlimited subscription then you can read it for free. Even if you don't though, $1.99 is a steal for this gem of a read.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you enjoyed this post and want to help me get the word out, please pin the pinterest pin below to one of your boards. Thanks in advance! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeSOtlIrTynlLyv7k4m-dSJ0z2ocPt70eVgVdyEIzjaRCT83mfUjaIf6q67Q_oFtxPnpP0XZYWN_3CjGKu9lZ6-seEX_DGNQFTRdppFZlyjLCuSvlumY6f4T35LMzEqZK8oUFkni4c_A/s900/LucklessbyCariZ.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKeSOtlIrTynlLyv7k4m-dSJ0z2ocPt70eVgVdyEIzjaRCT83mfUjaIf6q67Q_oFtxPnpP0XZYWN_3CjGKu9lZ6-seEX_DGNQFTRdppFZlyjLCuSvlumY6f4T35LMzEqZK8oUFkni4c_A/s320/LucklessbyCariZ.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "amazon ember", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "amazon ember", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-82904768335756897842019-07-28T19:49:00.001-07:002019-08-04T19:21:56.486-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzMVYJTGAC021HvIrDzAgDvYenHFKdegzhzi1pC38TwzoFtmaxvasQV5Cce96Wfu0i8EBV4stz3h7kiRNDxvBZlWDEzhHgvNXvSC5kA0oV5V3zgIXJlvQDUzA7F2ebT2NdiTCPY7CQxI/s1600/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1003" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzMVYJTGAC021HvIrDzAgDvYenHFKdegzhzi1pC38TwzoFtmaxvasQV5Cce96Wfu0i8EBV4stz3h7kiRNDxvBZlWDEzhHgvNXvSC5kA0oV5V3zgIXJlvQDUzA7F2ebT2NdiTCPY7CQxI/s640/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I race into Barbara's shop after class. I need to learn how to turn a mirror into a portal now before the false face can put his plan into action.</div>
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<i>He already has. </i></div>
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I look down to see Sam sitting in front of me his eyes worried.</div>
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"What do you mean?" I say sharper than I mean to. </div>
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<i>He already has put his plan into action. He has her.</i></div>
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"What? What do you mean?"</div>
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<i>He has your friend.</i></div>
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"Crap, crap, crap! Barbara!" </div>
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"Calm yourself, Leilani. Take a few deep breaths with me." </div>
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Barbara comes from the back and takes my hands. "You have to be calm to do this Leilani, opening a portal takes concentration and a centered mind. If you're frazzled, frantic and afraid, I cannot send you through a portal."</div>
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"But I need to go now!" I wail, my hands trembling in hers. I don't want Sarah to be harmed. Even though I only met her the one time, it was enough for me to become attached. </div>
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"Leilani, breath with me. You can't go in your current condition."</div>
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Even though my mind is racing and I'm terrified, I know that Barbara is right. If I can't calm down and concentrate I won't be able to do anything to help Sarah. Plus we were just planning on starting my lessons, it could be days or weeks before I can learn the magic to create and walk through a portal using a mirror. </div>
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"Remember, time doesn't work the same in the land of the Fae as it does here. What could be minutes for Sarah, could quite possible be weeks, months or even years here. So breathe."</div>
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What else can I do? I know she is right but I still don't like it. I take deep breaths with her until my hands stop shaking and my mind stops racing. I can do this. I know I can.</div>
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"Okay, I feel better." I say softly before disengaging our hands.</div>
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"Good. Now do you want to tell me about your dream?"</div>
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I'm not even surprised that she knows about my dream and I tell her what I can remember. </div>
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"He wants to turn both worlds into barren wastelands." I end my description of the dream.</div>
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Barbara nods. "Yes, he's quite capable of doing it too, if we don't stop him."</div>
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"So how do we do that?" I ask hoping she will say it's time to start my lessons, but she surprises me.</div>
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"We wait, and you learn as much as I can teach you about not just portals but your magic."</div>
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"But I don't have any magic. I told you this before, I'm nobody special, and I don't have any special powers."</div>
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Barbara shakes her head. "Girl, you have Fae blood, that means that while you may have had no real powers before, your gifts have now been woken up by meeting Sam and myself. Everything happens for a reason, Leilani. But don't worry, I won't leave you without proper training. You have no idea of the power you possess." </div>
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"So when can you teach me how to use a mirror to open a portal."</div>
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Barbara has been leading me towards the back of the bookstore and her break room during our conversation. </div>
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She sighs and then says, "Let's have some tea and chat. There is far more to learning what you want to learn than just opening a portal. Your energy is all over the place so the first thing we need to do is teach you how to properly center yourself."</div>
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I pull out a chair and sit down. I know I'm not going to be learning anything about mirrors or portals today. As much as I want to get to Sarah, it's not happening today and I don't have time to try and find another teacher. Honestly, I don't want another teacher. Even though I haven't known Barbara for long I trust her, and I definitely trust Sam as well. </div>
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I watch as she makes my tea the way I like it with a bit of honey. She sits the cup down in front of me before sitting down herself across from me. </div>
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"So, tell me Leilani, have you ever taken a yoga class?" She asks me.</div>
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I've thought about taking yoga in the past, but I'm always so busy that I never bothered. "No, I can't say that I have."</div>
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"Too bad," Barbara mutters, "that would make teaching you to center yourself much easier." </div>
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"Can I learn from an online video?" I ask. I know YouTube has a lot of yoga videos. </div>
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"I think starting a regular practice of yoga would be helpful. Yoga teaches you how to breath properly for centering and the asanas or movements teach you focus. Try to find a teacher who focuses on breathing and easy beginning asanas. You'll learn to get centered and calm much more quickly than if you try it without. After you've been practicing yoga for a bit, then I'd like you to have a few Reiki sessions with a friend of mine to get your energy aligned."</div>
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"Okay." Now it's my turn to sigh.</div>
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"I have something for you." Barbara says, getting up and pulling a book from a bookshelf I don't remember seeing the last time I was here.</div>
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"What is it?" I ask as I take the obviously ancient tome. </div>
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"A book on the history of the Fae. Humans think it's just a mythology book, but it's their actual history and this particular book was written by a sixth generation full-blooded Fae whose family lives in this realm rather than in the Fae realm. Of course no one knows that or knows that he's six hundred years old, but that doesn't matter. What's in this book will teach you the major players of the Fae world. This is your homework for the next two weeks, Leilani. Read the book, start practicing yoga and we'll meet again in two weeks."</div>
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"But I thought you were going to start teaching me about..." I'm not happy about this extra load of work on top of my normal school load, nor about having to wait. I had thought we were to begin today.</div>
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<i>You are beginning today, Leilani. This is the start, you cannot just jump into learning magic, about your powers, and mirrors without the proper background training.</i></div>
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Sam's thoughts came to me and I looked down to see him cleaning himself at my feet. </div>
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"Okay, I guess there's nothing I can do to change your mind and do this faster?" I say, looking at Barbara hopefully.</div>
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"To send you into the Fae realm unprepared would be a death sentence, even with your new powers." Barbara said firmly. "Come back in to weeks and not before, and Leilani I will be testing you, so make sure you read the book and do your yoga because I will know if you haven't."</div>
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Not that I was really planning on not doing those things but she was making it clear that if I did not do them I would then be causing the delay in getting to Sarah myself. I wouldn't do that. </div>
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"I'll do them, Barbara. I'm just not sure how I'm going to handle this on top of everything else I have to do."</div>
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"Call me if you need more time, dear. I want you properly prepared before entering the world of the Fae. If you're not, you won't survive. Not all Fae are kind like my friend who wrote this book, many are deceptive, and cruel. They live a very long time and many think nothing of playing with humans, and I don't mean that in a good way. That's most likely how you came by your Fae blood, some Fae lord playing in the human realm. He probably doesn't even know or care he left a child behind."</div>
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I'd never thought of that before, who the one was who gave me my Fae blood, I mean. So far I'm not very impressed with what I know about the Fae, and I certainly don't want to be one of them. I just want to find and help Sarah and stop the False Face from putting his plan into motion. </div>
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"Put that book in your bag dear, and guard it well. There are not very many editions around anymore."</div>
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I lifted the heavy book and slid it down into my backpack. The thing weighed a ton, or so it felt like. </div>
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When I sat back up, I found myself with a lap full of cat. I stroked my hand down Sam's back. </div>
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<i>Scratch behind my ears?</i></div>
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I laughed. "Sure, Sam" I scratched behind both ears and he began to purr. </div>
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Barbara smiled indulgently and then got up to go out front when we heard the bell ring. </div>
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I spent another thirty minutes petting Sam before I decided that Barbara not coming back into the little break room meant we were done for the day. </div>
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Time to go home and start reading the book she'd loaned me.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-61428773773847668942018-09-18T07:00:00.000-07:002018-09-18T07:00:06.233-07:00New Book!I'm so excited to tell you about my newest release Their Omega! This is a story I've been working on for a while. If polyamory or the suggestion of mpreg isn't your thing than read no further. But if it is and I hope it is, here's a taste!<div>
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<div>
This book is the first book in Leap of Faith Publishing's Lite Delights series, hot, short stories that are only 99 cents! As such they are only available from the Leap of Faith Publishing e-book store. Just click the cover to be taken to the sales page.<br /><div>
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<a href="https://leapoffaithpublishing.net/?product=their-omega-by-regina-paul" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDxAK7BFHy7OESWJdyj3sNHFLWv54bU3edFw912Z-XR4sps4OnxTvf85elQV0aGwUgASoqz1lqkCR-I5XnxMT4ZcuUF-ReoUTpAKGIpU_tL3PTOE2cx-yaR4wJCLx2bls0IK_ChXAyg4g/s1600/Their+Omega+by+Regina+Paul+Final+200x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Blurb:</b></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Could the two sexy alpha wolves that have been checking him out be his mates?</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Devon is young at eighteen, and an omega wolf. Born to two lone alphas he has never been part of a pack. However, that has not stopped him from watching two gay alpha lone wolves in his town and dreaming. They’ve been watching him too, and Devon can only hope now that he’s old enough, his romantic dreams are about to come true. Will Ben and Hal take him as their mate, or are they only looking for a good time with a hot young omega?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Excerpt:</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I remember the first time I
saw them out the window of our break room. They were walking into a bar across
from the grocery store I worked in, and while they didn’t hold hands exactly I
knew they were close, especially when one guy’s hand brushed the other guy’s
ass. I popped wood seeing that and had to put a book in my lap so no one saw. A
book I’d been reading while sitting with a few co-workers in the break room.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I watched until they
disappeared inside the bar, but not before one of them turned around, grinned
and winked at me. I felt my face heat before I dropped my eyes, and tipped my
head to one side submissively. My parents always told me if I ever came into
contact with alphas this was the way to show respect. Since these were the
first two I’d ever seen let alone met, it was the first time I’d felt the
instinct to do so. When I looked up again, they’d both disappeared inside the
darkened bar. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That was three years ago
when I was fifteen. I just turned eighteen last week and I'm still watching Hal
and Ben walk into the same bar just like they do every Saturday afternoon. The
same as they have every Saturday for the last three years. I've never had the
nerve to go up and talk to them, but I’ve caught them watching me just as
closely as I've watched them when I thought they didn’t know I was looking. I
knew I was playing with fire, I know I’m still playing with fire. I want them,
boy do I want them. They’re tall, dark and hairy, one of my kinks. I love
bears, love the way they look, love to fantasize about their beards rubbing
across my body, just the thought will make my nipples stand at attention. I
love to dream about what their hot hairy bodies will feel like rubbing against
mine, what it will feel like to be trapped between them, one with his cock in
my ass, and one in front of me sucking my cock maybe, while he twists my
nipples tight. I like the idea of a little pain, it gets me off. Nothing
extreme mind you, but having my nipples clamped, or my ass spanked? Yeah, those
kinds of fantasies are my favorite, and for the last three years, those two
alphas have starred front and center in every single one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Too bad it’s all just a
dream. No alpha is ever going to be interested in me…</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-10332133578601946482018-03-11T19:48:00.001-07:002018-03-11T19:48:45.125-07:00Interview with Lin Chen from No Place to Run by Regina Paul<br />
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<a href="http://leapoffaithpublishing.net/?product=no-place-to-run-by-regina-paul" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc6EmUIM3Y-BRHoDOT7_9gVfaSv7qLECcw3Ya2nO3XcU4MV5n0FAR8guRTtNv7DAFNLqlWaDtAeWAmSuyD38K-Zo9fA3ftuis6qN8hY9UdmTfyjSVwDe9gS9NR2d89tNLVPKF7kg42tsI/s1600/NoPlacetoRun+200x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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Interviewer: So, Lin, tell our readers a bit about where
you’re from.</div>
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Lin: I’m from a small Bunun village in Taiwan.</div>
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Interviewer: Who are the Bunun?</div>
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Lin: We are one of the tribes of the aboriginal people of
Taiwan.</div>
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Interviewer: You mean like American Indians?</div>
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Lin: Sort of. Genetically we are more closely related to the
Polynesians rather than the American Indians.</div>
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Interviewer: Okaaayyy…So, Lin how did you wind up here in
America?</div>
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Lin: I came here to keep my ex-husband from hurting myself
or my family members.</div>
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Interviewer:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
awful, I take it he’s violent?</div>
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Lin: Yes, violent and rich. This has made it very difficult
for me to get free of him. </div>
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Interviewer: Do you think he’s going to follow you here?</div>
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Lin: I am sure of it. </div>
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Interviewer: How are you going to stay safe?</div>
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Lin: I don’t know exactly. I am hoping that my new friend
Kyle Little Eagle and his grandfather might be able to help me with that.</div>
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Interviewer: Kyle Little Eagle? That sounds Native American.</div>
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Lin: It is. With luck his and his grandfather’s medicine
will be strong enough to help me keep my ex-husband Bai away. I am hoping for
this.</div>
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Interviewer: So….are you and Kyle a couple?</div>
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Lin: What do you mean?</div>
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Interviewer: You know, are you dating him, seeing him
socially? </div>
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Lin: Kyle is my friend…but I hope that he can become more .</div>
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Interviewer: So how do you think Kyle and his grandfather
can help you? If your ex-husband is rich and powerful couldn’t he easily get
you away from them?</div>
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Lin: I suppose if they were ordinary men this might be true,
but Kyle and his grandfather are special, they have special gifts.</div>
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Interviewer: What do you mean?</div>
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Lin: They are close to the Spirits.</div>
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Interview: You mean like ghosts?</div>
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Lin: No. The Spirits are close to the Creator, what you
would probably call God. Those with a close working relationship with them can
help to effect change where others cannot.</div>
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Interview: Like angels?</div>
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Lin: I suppose you could make that comparison, but they are
not angels, but something else. It is difficult to explain if you were not
raised around our beliefs.</div>
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Interviewer: So you see the beliefs that Kyle and his
grandfather have as being similar to yours?</div>
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Lin: Yes, they are similar. Not the same exactly but the
core beliefs are similar. We understand each other very well.</div>
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Interviewer: Interesting. So, how long are<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you going to be in America?</div>
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Lin: I do not know. It will depend on Kyle and if I can get
my ex-husband to leave me and my family alone.</div>
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Interviewer: Well, we wish you the best Lin, thanks for
talking to us.</div>
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Lin: Thank you for having me.</div>
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Read Lin and Kyle’s story in <a href="http://leapoffaithpublishing.net/?product=no-place-to-run-by-regina-paul" target="_blank">No Place to Run by Regina Paul</a>.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-90421103625824525212018-02-03T16:12:00.000-08:002018-09-17T22:07:42.725-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams Part 6<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ0JtV96-MpZsOQxo0yZooe86r200djAFk7REcEOLDEtfzjozvxJ3Ui-URtf_E_TBBj_h819CqDLynM01qN_qtERO3lcx7jbJKQjE8wjmKUIgOykSZ9-uqg99pPjYWgHUy9AMPFyeKp8/s1600/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="401" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQ0JtV96-MpZsOQxo0yZooe86r200djAFk7REcEOLDEtfzjozvxJ3Ui-URtf_E_TBBj_h819CqDLynM01qN_qtERO3lcx7jbJKQjE8wjmKUIgOykSZ9-uqg99pPjYWgHUy9AMPFyeKp8/s640/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I don't know where I am...I know I'm dreaming again but I don't recognize this landscape. Unlike the other dreams where I see Sarah, this landscape is barren and dead looking. There is nothing for as far as I can see but a flat brown landscape with black skeleton trees whose branches reach towards a black sky. I don't like this place and I want nothing more than to leave it, but there is a reason I'm here, there has to be. As with my other dreams, I am hyper aware. </div>
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I begin walking though I have no idea where I'm going. There is nothing I can see other than the black, dead trees that look as though a good stiff wind will uproot what little is left of them beneath the dusty brown ground, knocking them over to lie looking even more dead if that were possible. </div>
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There are no stars in the black sky, and I'm surprised I can see as there does not seem to be any light sources and yet I can see as though I were walking at home on a gray day with rain falling down. I would give anything to see a set of clouds heavy with rain. In my imagination it would wash the heavy, dusty brown earth away to reveal soil live with the richness of the possibilities of growing things. The rain would decompose the dead black trees returning them to the soil buried beneath the ugly dead looking brown earth. In my mind's eye I can see the live soil beneath it, rich with small lights that I somehow know are very small crystals. This soil speaks to me, singing a song only I can hear. How can I hear it?</div>
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<i>You have always been able to hear the song of the true earth.</i></div>
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The voice is soft, but it isn't Sarah's voice, this is someone else.</div>
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<i>Who are you? </i>I think, somehow knowing she will hear me.</div>
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I hear tinkling laughter. </div>
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<i>It is not yet time for you to know me. Just know that this place is what the dark fae would create for himself and those like him in both my world and yours if he is not stopped.</i></div>
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<i>Do you mean the false face? </i>I think to the invisible presence.</div>
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There is a pause, a deep breath which I can hear before an answer comes. <i>Yes.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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Who is this new person entering my dream universe and why will she not identify herself? I don't like it. Too much has been happening to me lately for me to trust anything or really anyone. Except maybe Sarah, Pokey and Darius. For some reason I know I can trust them. </div>
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<i>Is Sarah okay? </i>I mean I may as well ask her since she's revealed herself.</div>
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Suddenly into the dead brown land a heavy wind rolls through the landscape pushing what looks like tumbleweeds that are four times the size as those I could find in the waking world, more brown dust, and what looks like trash. Wrappers, old papers, empty pop cans and more. And it's heading right towards me!</div>
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<i>Sarah is mine! </i>The same sinister voice I'd heard before, ominous, filled with gravel and hostile answers, as though to shout over any answers the other voice might give me.</div>
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Anger surges through me. <i>No she's not! She's mine!</i> I open my mouth to yell the words when I begin to hear a sound off in the distance. </div>
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It's my alarm clock in the waking world. My eyes pop open and then close again as glaring daylight nearly blinds me. I reach over and slap the snooze button on my clock. I crack one eyelid slightly open and look at the clock. It's six am and I'm going to be late not only for class, but for my first lesson in how to turn any mirror into a portal. </div>
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Do I have a new ally or is this just a trick of the false face? But then why would he tell me what his plans are to make both the fae world and my world a barren dust bowl where nothing can live?</div>
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With more questions than answers I throw back the covers and head for the shower. It's time to begin another day...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-11964648038794883752017-09-09T20:55:00.004-07:002023-08-19T23:09:36.776-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams, Part 5<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJaLc6IbGBQUE8J6RHhEPJVhuMI4466uNJsvAIJRDoJy7CMsAL_oDo6pISVnubEG6tuJ7Tic7uUg2paI13nebJpxvZgkwg2kZdYGyWvTnEIQr6ccvqOmu-8gq78VreDNy5ofpKfAtwcg/s640/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" /></div>
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I just spent weeks staring into mirrors including the ones in my apartment. So far nothing so I'm beginning to think it has to do with particular mirrors and not just any mirror, or maybe there's something I'm supposed to do to activate a mirror.</div>
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Today I'm skipping class and going to one of those New Age bookstores downtown. Maybe I can find a spell or something that will help me turn one of my mirrors into a portal. </div>
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I've never been to one of these shops before, truthfully I've always avoided them. I have enough paranormal in my life without reading about it. But then I didn't know what the dreams meant or that I was traveling to the world of the fae. Now I've got this whole puzzle to figure out and apparently if I want to save Sarah and break her curse I need to find a damned mirror or figure out how to bespell one so it will open a portal. I think I'm about to lose my mind!</div>
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The shop is called BeSpelled New Age Book Shoppe and sits on a corner by itself. There's a broom over the doorway so I suspect that though it's called a New Age store, the owner must be a witch. The door is painted a deep purple and outside walls are painted black. As I cross the street and walk to the front door my eyes are drawn to a set of beautiful golden eyes starting from a cute black face. Apparently the shop has a resident cat. </div>
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<i>I've been waiting for you.</i></div>
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I look around, expecting to see someone, but there's no one but the cat in the window whose eyes meet mine. </div>
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"No freakin' way!" I whisper beneath my breath. </div>
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<i>Stop dilly dallying Leilani, I need to show you something, hurry up and come inside. </i></div>
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With those words the cat jumps down from the window and disappears. As I reach out grab the handle and holding down the old fashioned button on top, I push. Bells tinkle merrily. The door is heavier than I expected and I shut it carefully once I'm inside. I can't believe I'm doing this, or that a black cat is talking to me. </div>
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I feel something brush up against me and when I look down, the black cat is winding around and around my feet, rubbing up against my legs the entire time. Then it stops and sits in front of me. </div>
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<i>I'm Sam, Barbara's familiar. I can help you with your quest.</i></div>
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I crouch down still staring into the cat's beautiful golden eyes. "Hello Sam. I can use the help, thank you." I mean what else am I going to say to a telepathic sentient cat?</div>
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Sam's fur looks so soft I reach out and begin petting him. A low rumbling purr rolls out of him and his eyes close in ecstasy. <i>Mmmmm...that's wonderful. Don't stop!</i></div>
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I giggle at his words then a shadow falls across us. </div>
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"I see you found Leilani, Sam." A woman's amused voice breaks into Sam and I's getting to know each other petting. </div>
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I look up and find a smiling red haired woman with bright kelly green eyes. She's wearing a beautiful forest green long sleeved velvet blouse with a long black broomstick skirt and black fringed ankle boots. Pentagram earrings and necklace are her only adornments. </div>
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"I"m Barbara, and I see you've already met Sam, Leilani."</div>
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I give Sam one more pet and quick rub under his chin for good measure and then I stand up. "Hello Barbara. Well clearly you know who I am, though I have no idea how that's the case."</div>
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"Why don't you come in the back for a cup of tea and I'll explain. Come along, Sam, I have some tuna for you. You were right about Leilani coming today, and you deserve a reward."</div>
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<i>Yum! Tuna!</i></div>
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I laugh at Sam's thoughts and watch as Barbara turns her sign from Open to Closed. That might have made me nervous with other people, but there is something about Barbara's energy that puts me at ease. This woman means me no harm. </div>
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I follow her to a doorway towards the back that has filmy curtains covering it in shades of purple and indigo with small silver dots all over reminding me of a midnight sky that I saw once when visiting the desert.</div>
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Behind the curtains was a small kitchen with a table and chairs. The whole set up was magical and someone had painted the table and chairs to match the midnight sky of the curtains covering the doorway. The walls had fairy, elf and forest murals reminding me of some of the fantasy art I'd seen online.</div>
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The small stove was a mellow yellow color and above it was a microwave on a shelf. Next to the stove was a small refrigerator and to the right was a sink with a cupboard above and below.</div>
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"I like to do a little baking in here sometimes." Barbara said as she filled two coffee mugs with water and put them in the microwave to heat. "What kind of tea do you like? I have just about every flavor."</div>
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"Do you have peppermint?"</div>
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"Of course. Do you take any sweetner?"</div>
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"A little honey." I answered.</div>
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Barbara put out a ceramic container with tea bags in it and a small pot of honey and two teaspoons before she turned and went to the small refrigerator and took out a pouch of Bumblebee Tuna. "Do you want me to warm this up, Sam?"</div>
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Sam tilted his head to one side as though thinking. <i>Cold is fine.</i></div>
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"Very well then." Barbara emptied the pouch of tuna onto a small plate and set it on the floor for Sam. I watch as he runs across the floor and begins daintily eating the tuna. <i>Mmmmm....mmmmmm....tuna!</i></div>
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"He really loves tuna, doesn't he?"</div>
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"Oh, yes. Sam is a rescue. I found him when he was a kitten at the local shelter. No one else realized he was telepathic because they didn't know how to listen for him. Most people don't, but you do, don't you?"</div>
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"I guess. I didn't know I knew how to listen for him until he first talked to me."</div>
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"Ah, a latent sensitive. That's not unusual. Animals have a way of waking latents up to their gifts."</div>
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"What's a latent?" As I speak, the microwave dings and Barbara goes to retrieve the two mugs of hot water.</div>
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"A latent is someone with powers who doesn't know they have powers or how to use them."</div>
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"I don't have any powers." I deny what she's saying. If I had powers, I'd use them to rescue Sarah and break her curse. I'm just me, and it's a fluke that I can hear Sam.</div>
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Barbara sets a mug down in front of me and gestures to the tea bags, pointing to one that has a green wrapper that says Peppermint on the front. I reach forward and grab it,easily tearing the top off and pulling out the teabag. I drop it into the water and watch as the light brown color swirls through the water slowly. </div>
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"Yes, you do. You may not know how to use them yet, but you do have them. Sam and I can help you hone them so you can help Sarah."</div>
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How does she know about Sarah? "How do you.." But Barbara cuts me off. "I'm a generational witch and a seer. I saw Sarah and know that she has been cursed by the false face."</div>
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"What's a seer?"</div>
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"A seer is someone who gets glimpses of other places, events, times, the future and other things. It's complicated." Barbara tore open her own teabag, Jasmine, and dumped the teabag in her water.</div>
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My mind swirls with ideas and thoughts. Is that why I can see Sarah and the fae realm in my dreams, am I also a seer?</div>
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"No dear, you're not a seer. You only see Sarah and her surroundings in your dreams."</div>
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"How?"</div>
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"How did I know what you were thinking?" I nod. "Well, you were broadcasting your thoughts rather loudly, and the look on your face kind of said it all."</div>
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"So, how come I can see her and her realm?"</div>
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"You have Fae blood." </div>
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My mind goes blank for a minute. There's no way that's possible. My dad is Native Hawaiian, and my mom's family is originally from Ireland. I mean I know fairies and fae stories are from Ireland, but...that's just not possible.</div>
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"How is that possible?"</div>
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"The same way it's possible for you to hear Sam, and see the fae realm and talk to Sarah. You believe that what you're seeing in your dreams is real, right?"</div>
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"Well, yeah, I think so. I mean it has to be, right?"</div>
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"You're not sure, are you?"</div>
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I shrug. "I don't know, sometimes I'm absolutely certain, and others I think I'm losing my mind. I've had the dreams about Sarah my entire life. I didn't know what they meant, and then I had a dream where I was able to interact with her, and talk to her. That changed everything." I shake my head.</div>
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I feel something touch my leg and look down to find Sam with his paw on my leg. <i>It is all real, Leilani, don't doubt yourself.</i></div>
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"Sam, you have no idea how out there this is for me."</div>
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Sam starts grooming himself now that he has my attention. <i>It's the so-called real world that is unreal, Leilani. What you perceive as the real world is the illusion.</i></div>
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"That doesn't make sense." I say.</div>
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"Actually, Sam is right. Most of us go about our daily lives ignoring or not seeing because we don't want to, what is actually there. I saw you in visions visiting this shop for the last year, and a year before that, Sam told me that a young woman named Leilani was going to need our help. Drink your tea Leilani, before it gets cold." Barbara nodded to my cup. </div>
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I remove my tea bag and set it on a plate Barbara had set next to my cup when I wasn't paying attention. Then I take the little pitcher of honey and pour some into my cup, then stir it with my teaspoon before taking a sip. It was actually just right, not too hot, and not lukewarm. I take another sip or two thinking. </div>
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"So, how do I help her, how I do break the curse?"</div>
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I watch as Barbara drinks her tea and thinks. "I can't do it for you." She says finally. </div>
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Sure, of course she can't do it for me, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? I sigh, and put my cup down. "That figures. Can you teach me what I need to do and know to help her?"</div>
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Barbara looks thoughtful. "I believe so. I don't know fae magic, but I believe I can show you the witch way and the magic in your bloodline will do the rest. Who knows we may even alert one of your relatives and he or she can help you the rest of the way." </div>
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Now that really boggles my mind. Fae relatives? I don't even know if I believe her that I have fae blood, let alone the ability to contact relatives in the fae realm.</div>
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"Well, we won't know until we try. I think all of this is enough of a shock for one day. Why don't you finish your tea and then go to class. I know you have one this afternoon, though you skipped your morning class to come here."</div>
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I stare at her. Apparently there will be no secrets. I shrug, finish my tea in a few quick gulps and stand. "When can I come back?"</div>
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"Tomorrow is fine, dear, but don't skip your classes. Those lessons are just as important as what I will teach you. I know tomorrow is a light day for you, so come in the early afternoon and we'll begin your lessons in turning mirrors into portals."</div>
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"Any mirror?"</div>
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"Yes, the old immortal woman failed to tell you or learn herself for that matter, that any mirror can be turned into a portal. Being able to turn any mirror into a portal and being able to direct where that portal goes makes it easy to return home if things become too dangerous."</div>
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"You know about her too, huh?"</div>
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"Yes." Barbara said gently. "She didn't tell you her whole story. Her curse is easily solved but she is afraid of the solution and so instead refuses to do what must be done."</div>
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I open my mouth to ask more questions, but the older woman shakes her head. "Tomorrow, Leilani, tomorrow. You need to go or you'll miss your afternoon class. Sam and I will be here tomorrow." </div>
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She surprises me by giving me a quick gentle hug. I find I don't want to leave but clearly it's time to. I reach down and rub Sam under his chin and then leave following the path I used to come into the store earlier. Tomorrow is another day.</div>
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(c) Copyright 2017 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-82124360360650655092017-06-12T07:00:00.002-07:002023-08-19T23:09:17.392-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyn3H036F6qgjSWo_fswxCXSYwJHc9XdGQebr0jN3bHTe0JzLYTugarbdhJTvI1PvMWqn10HCFWQ2EIFsnO3Q-6j0uQM_rKN4RFApfUAailnQY782lxR17uQqRAo6fKXlPC-S4dbt1Tk/s1600/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1003" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGyn3H036F6qgjSWo_fswxCXSYwJHc9XdGQebr0jN3bHTe0JzLYTugarbdhJTvI1PvMWqn10HCFWQ2EIFsnO3Q-6j0uQM_rKN4RFApfUAailnQY782lxR17uQqRAo6fKXlPC-S4dbt1Tk/s640/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I can't leave Sarah to her fate, and I believe deep down that she doesn't want me to. But how do I really enter the realm of the Fae? I have always been interested in the paranormal, kind of hard not to be when something paranormal has been happening to me all my life. I mean what would you do, if you knew that someone from some place else needed help? Would you just throw up your hands and say, "I can't do it, it's too hard?" Me either.</div>
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The first place I can think to go is the library on campus. I don't have internet in my tiny apartment, I can't afford it, and though I could get online on my phone, I don't have one of those fancy smart phones, mine is purely bare bones basic. It's a pre-paid cell phone and I'm only allowed 250 MB of data each month on my plan, and you can imagine how quickly you can eat that up. Struggling college student, remember?</div>
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Honestly, I'm not even sure where to start, but maybe I can research fairy tales and portals to begin with. Then maybe curses and how to reverse them. God, I sound like someone from one of those paranormal shows like Grimm or Once Upon a Time where a human finds out the fairy tale world is real. </div>
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I find a single computer off in the corner, thank god, all I need is one of my classmates seeing this research. I sit down and go to google and begin the research. As soon as I type in the question, "What is a portal?" I get all kinds of information on computer portals, or websites that have links to other websites. Not what I'm looking for. But then I find a definition that says a portal is a gate, or doorway. But I'm not thinking about just any old portal, I need to find out how to access a portal to the Fae world. Fat chance it would be this easy. </div>
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I find another website that references going to a fairy mound and saying something along the lines of,</div>
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"Let me in, let me in." or "Open the door, open the door." But I'm in America, where am I going to find a fairy mound? I mean maybe they're here, but I wouldn't know how to find one. Another site talks about creating a garden that's inviting to the fairy folk, but I live in an apartment building so that's out.</div>
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Hours later I am still unclear as to how to get myself over to the Fae realm from my own very ordinary human world. </div>
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"Och, dearie, are ya trying ta go to the fae realm?"</div>
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I think I jump about a foot before I turn and see a wizened old lady behind me adjusting her glasses. The lenses make her eyes look very big. She is wearing a dress with a flowered pattern and has wiry white hair. </div>
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"Um, no I'm just doing research for a paper." I lie. Something about the old woman makes me nervous though I cannot put my finger on it. </div>
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"Ya must be verra careful if ya go ta the land of the Fae." She admonishes. "Tis not a safe place for humans."</div>
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Then she leans toward me. "But if yer set on goin', a mirror is the best way." She nods sagely. "Tis also the safest, and will make returning easier."</div>
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I cannot help myself. "A mirror?" I whisper. Enthralled despite myself.</div>
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"Aye, just be sure ya know where ya come out on the other side, otherwise ya could be trapped and never get back home. Unless tis what you want?" She shrugged again. "Some humans choose ta go ta the Fae realm and stay, but I dinna recommend it, no I dinna."</div>
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"Why?" </div>
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The old woman seemed to realize she may have said too much and looked around nervously. "Because dearie, time passes much differently in the Fae realm. What ya think are days, could be years, and all ya love could be gone or aged decades while ya remain young and beautiful. The realm of the Fae be nothin' to mess with, be verra verra sure this what ya want and know where ya came in so ya can get back out."</div>
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"How do you know all this?" I ask, for I have the feeling she speaks from experience.</div>
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Her eyes cloud with memories. Then she said, "How old do ya think I be?"</div>
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Is this a trick question? "I don't know, eighty, maybe?" I guess.</div>
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She straightens her shoulders. "I be three hundred and fifty-five tomorra." </div>
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I gasp. "But...that's not possible!" I declare, sure now the old woman is messing with me.</div>
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She shakes her head sadly. "It be true, dearie. A side effect of living in the realm of the Fae for years and eating their food, taking their medicines. An evil sorcerer killed my Fae lover, and cursed me to live forever. When he returned me ta the human realm, the weight of the years I'd been gone aged me me, but still I cannot die." A tear slipped down her cheek. "Do not make the same mistake I did." She whispers, before shuffling away, a cane in one hand I had not seen before.</div>
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Before I could process what she said, she disappeared into the crowd. I look for her, but it is as though she was never here..</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-25141243460625787102017-04-22T20:25:00.000-07:002017-04-22T20:27:35.240-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I slump back down on my bed and watch the clock as it goes from 3:00 am to 3:01 am. What is happening to me, what are these strange dreams because now I'm not just dreaming of the girl and her wolves, but terrifying creatures that remind me of Iroquois false face masks come to life. Something is changing in my dreamscape, the current dream was not just a nightmare, and I know this deep down inside. But how is this even possible? Dreams are just that dreams, aren't they?</div>
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I throw one arm over my closed eyes. Thank God, it's early on a Saturday morning, and I have no work and no classes. I can sleep in, get up when I want and study when I want. Heck, I might even go and see a movie, no horror though! </div>
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I turn over and reaching out I make sure the alarm isn't set, I don't want to wake up at 5:00 am later on. Then I cuddle back down into my warm blankets and fortunately I easily fall back asleep.</div>
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What feels like seconds later, my eyes pop open. Bright sunlight nearly blinds me, as my senses are assaulted by the scents of hundreds of wild flowers. When my eyes finally adjust to the bright light I see that I am sitting in a field full of wild flowers, some of whose stalks are as tall as the top of my head. </div>
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"I've been waiting for you." </div>
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My head whips around so fast I can hear the bones in my neck crack and whiplash pain shoots down one side. </div>
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"Fuck that hurts!" I groan, my attention has been taken off the soulful voice. That is until gentle fingers pluck the muscles on the side with whiplash, and the pain begins to subside. </div>
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"I didn't mean to startle you." </div>
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I still can't see her, but I'm pretty sure who it is, especially when two wolves come romping into the wild flower field. Strangely I am not afraid of them. One of them plops down and puts his head in my lap, at least I think it's a him, before the other swipes one side of my face with his rough tongue before sitting down and cocking his head to one side as if to say, "Well aren't you going to pet me?"</div>
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I laugh, while they may be wolves, they're acting like great big puppies.</div>
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A slender hand reaches over my shoulder and begins scratching behind the ear of the wolf who is sitting in front of me. The wolf lets out a low whine of pleasure. "This is Pokey." </div>
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"Pokey?" I ask, I think that is a pretty ridiculous name for a wild wolf, but maybe she knows something I don't.</div>
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"Yes. She is always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, hence the name Pokey."</div>
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"Ah." I say, as if it makes perfect sense.</div>
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"And this is my Darius, he's the Alpha wolf." She says, and I guess that explains why the wolf whose head is in my lap, and who has the most beautiful gold eyes I've ever seen has the majestic name of Darius. </div>
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I smile down at the wolf in my lap, "Hello, Darius." I say, gently scratching the top of his head and around his ears. He sighs, and closes his eyes.</div>
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Just so Pokey won't feel slighted I lean forward holding my hand out so she can smell it. She licks my fingers and taking that as a sign that we are friends, I rub my hand under her chin and along her chest. She lifts her head back and gives what I can only surmise is a little happy doggy groan. </div>
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The girl with me, laughs. "You keep doing that, and they're going to leave me for you." She teases.</div>
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"I very much doubt that." I smile. She is still behind me and I cannot see her face, but her voice calms me.</div>
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"There, your neck should be better now." She removes her hand from where she continued to massage the pain away. </div>
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"It is, thank you."</div>
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"You're welcome." I feel her move around me until she is sitting in front of me next to Pokey. "And I am Sarah." She holds out one hand to me and I take it, squeezing it gently. She is even more beautiful in person than in my dreams. Raven hair cascading over her shoulders and down her arms, silver eyes and blood red lips. She is like something out of my most erotic fantasies. She is wearing a black and white corset dress that pushes up her breasts and creates some of the most wonderful cleavage I've ever seen. To top it off, she has a red cape over the ensemble. On her legs are white stockings and finally black flats with some kind of small silver buckles that have beautiful round filigree carved into them.</div>
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"It was very brave of you to confront him, but I want you to promise me you will never do so again." </div>
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I laugh nervously, I didn't confront him the first time. "Are you talking about the false face man in the dark forest?"</div>
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"Yes. He's dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. Promise me you won't confront him again." </div>
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"Sarah, I didn't confront him the first time. I'm not sure why you think that." As much as I wanted to keep touching her, I drop her hand, slightly irritated she would think I would put myself into what had clearly been great danger if her demeanor was anything to go by.</div>
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"You didn't?" She seems surprised. "But I thought..." She shakes her head. </div>
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"You thought what?" I ask belligerently. </div>
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"That you were the one. Well, damn. That is that then." She moves as though she is going to stand. Not having any idea what is going on I grab her hand again.</div>
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"Hey wait a minute. Sarah, what do you mean the one? What are you talking about?"</div>
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"There's just no help for it then." She tries to shake my hand off, but though I'm small, I'm stronger than I look.</div>
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"Uh, uh. I want some answers Sarah." I looked deeply into her eyes and I can see she is wavering. "Listen, I've dreamed of you and your wolves every day of my life for the last twenty years, there has to be a reason, so tell me."</div>
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"You have?" Her eyes blaze with the fires of hope.</div>
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"Yes, nearly every night. Last night was the first time the dream was different. I didn't consciously seek out the false face. I just found myself there. Who is he, and why did I dream of him?"</div>
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"His name is Ciprian, and he's evil as they come." She said in a voice devoid of emotion though she held my hand so tightly I heard one knuckle crack. "I don't know why you would dream of him, but you wouldn't be the first person he used dreams to trap. You need to guard your dreams better."</div>
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I could scarcely believe I was talking to the girl from my dreams in a dream as though I were not dreaming right now this very second. "How do I guard my dreams?"</div>
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"You don't know how?" </div>
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"Not really no. You see where I come from dreams aren't real, and while some people believe dreams have meaning, most do not believe they are anything more than the subconscious hashing out the problems of the day while we sleep."</div>
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"Oh, that is a very dangerous belief to have. Dreams are real, Leilani, and they are often doorways to other realms."</div>
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"I believe you, I'm dreaming right now you know."</div>
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"You believe this is a dream?"</div>
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"I know it is, though it's very real."</div>
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Sarah shook her head. "Dear, dear Leilani, this is much more than a dream. You have traveled into another realm and become caught up in a spider web of lies created by Ciprian. He is toying with you and me." </div>
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"Stop speaking in riddles, what do you mean?" </div>
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Sarah took a deep breath. "I am cursed." She whispered.</div>
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"Cursed like in the fairytales?"</div>
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"Goddess, you're from the human world, you're human!" Sarah sounds utterly shocked.</div>
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"Well, yeah. What's so bad about that?"</div>
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Sarah frames my face with soft hands. She brings her face even closer to mine. "Dear, dear Leilani, this realm is not safe for humans.You have been dreaming and visiting the realm of the Fae your entire life if you what you tell me is true, and I have no reason not to believe you. Why Ciprian would involve a human in our battle I do not know, but you must return to your world now. You cannot dream of me anymore beautiful Leilani." She leans into me and puts her soft lips against mine, "Sweet Leilani." She whispers against my lips. </div>
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I crave to taste her breath and as though she hears my thoughts she opens her lips slightly and I swipe just inside with my tongue. She is the one who is sweet. I don't want to leave her. She pulls back from me.</div>
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"Dear one, if only we had time for more. I would do such wicked lovely things to you were I not cursed. If only you were not human. I believed you were Fae, or maybe Elven, but that was one of Ciprian's tricks. I have watched you as you have watched me. If you do not heed my words, he will trap you in this realm forever, and you will share my curse. You must wake up now, Leilani, and never return to this place. Wake dear one, wake never to dream of me again. Be safe, love." The words whisper against my lips.</div>
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I try to hold onto her, the wolves, a wild flower stem, anything, but it all becomes as smoke and as I begin to wake I hear an angry growl. Then I open my eyes to the plain cream of the walls of my bedroom. I know I will not take Sarah's advice. I cannot leave her to her curse as she wishes. I will have to find some way to go to the realm of the Fae for real, but I'm scared. What if I can't find a way to help her though? </div>
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No one will believe me if I ask for help. Humans no longer believe in fairytales, or the Fae. </div>
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A tear tracks down my face to fall on my pillow. </div>
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How am I going to help Sarah? Because I know I have to try.</div>
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(c) Copyright 2017 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-77510803057095363862017-03-07T12:36:00.002-08:002017-04-22T20:28:04.692-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm dreaming again, I can always tell by the way I'm hyperaware of my surroundings. The forest around me is dark and quiet. Unlike a real forest, there are no sounds of animals rustling in the grasses or leaves, no hoot owls or scurrying of squirrels or chipmunks. The dark light is shading everything in blue and black. There are shadows everywhere I look, and I've never been so needy to hear even a hoot owl, or any form of life for that matter. But this forest is unlike any forest I've ever seen before, it's supernatural, maybe even preternatural, and alive in a way I can feel but can't quite explain. </div>
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Just yesterday I was waking up from my usual dream about the girl and her wolf friends, going to my classes, and my work study job and just trying to forget about it all by living my very mundane life. I should have known better, because the dreams never leave me for long. </div>
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This dream is different though. I've never been in this forest before, and I have no idea what is in store for me here. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye a shadow slips from behind a tree that is just a few feet from me. A very large tree and a very large shadow. The shadow is over six feet tall and has the shape of a man.</div>
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"You cannot have her, human."</div>
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On some level I know he is talking about the girl, the one who I've been dreaming about for as long as I can remember and whose name I don't even know.</div>
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"I don't know what you're talking about." I say flatly. </div>
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The shadow moves closer and I take another step back in self preservation.</div>
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"Oh, but I think you do, my pretty." </div>
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As I watch, the shadow hunches over, nearly in half, and the voice which has been smooth and beautiful albiet sinister turns to a harsh gravel sound. I take another step back because I have no idea at this point what I'm dealing with. Usually at this juncture in a nightmare I wake up before I can see whatever it is. Not so this night. Instead the shadow lifts a hand, and speaks a word in a language I've never heard before. A round ball of light appears above what I can now see is a brown palm. The palm lifts towards the creature's face. </div>
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I want to run, wake up, something but it's as though my feet have grown roots deep into the forest floor and I cannot move. </div>
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<i>Run, it's not safe for you here! </i>A soft female voice says in my mind.</div>
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The creature before me snarls as though he too hears the whispering voice.</div>
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"I knew if I brought you here, she'd come."</div>
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I stare as the ball of light reaches the creature's face and something from a horror film is revealed. The skin of it's face is twisted up in a caricature of a smiling snarl, long black matted hair frames the nightmare vision. </div>
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I am beginning to get an idea of who he is talking about. Does he mean the girl and her wolves? And what does he mean by saying he brought me here?</div>
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<i>Do not engage him, do not speak, it is a trap, you must wake up now Leilani!</i> The same soft, strong voice whispers in my mind. </div>
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<i>How? I'm stuck.</i></div>
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<i>No, I've freed you, wake up now, Leilani, before he traps us both!</i></div>
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My eyes fly open and I sit up with a gasp. When I turn my head to look at the clock it says 3:00 am.<br />
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(c) Copyright 2017 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-58166519483813290822017-02-20T20:03:00.000-08:002017-04-22T20:26:00.566-07:00Free Serial Romance: Wolf Dreams by Regina Paul, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bojWh74-e-ycpFMbot05-EkdHc-hXA_7BtKR0aAW4Uh4ZNkor0raM0f8_awEcMWiraJwPke1wg8xIzbU0m4KuU3LQKMlrazhQNgeiMmpQyVma1yl7QPj_sJlSCpOwbvIoQt5SYW-Y60/s1600/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4bojWh74-e-ycpFMbot05-EkdHc-hXA_7BtKR0aAW4Uh4ZNkor0raM0f8_awEcMWiraJwPke1wg8xIzbU0m4KuU3LQKMlrazhQNgeiMmpQyVma1yl7QPj_sJlSCpOwbvIoQt5SYW-Y60/s640/Wolf+Dreams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've been seeing her in my dreams for years, a beautiful girl with coal black hair and silver eyes. She always has two wolves with her. Are they guarding her? I don't know. Those eyes make me think she may be the more dangerous of the three. After all, who has silver eyes? Not any human I've ever met.Who is she? Again, I don't know. The dreams have been plaguing me for so long now that I don't know what to make of them. And the dreams are always the same. I'm walking in the woods, and in the distance I see her and her wolves. In the dreams they aren't walking, it's more like they suddenly take off and are in front of me. Her mercurial eyes look deeply into mine before she pulls one hand from behind her back and offers me an apple. The apple isn't a deep red color like most apples, it's almost like there's a milky white film covering the normal deep red of a red delicious apple.<br />
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She never speaks, never says anything just holds the apple out to me while her wolves look at something she is not paying attention to, and I cannot see. It's almost like a sadness enters her eyes when I don't immediately reach for the apple. Then I wake up, I always wake up.<br />
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Sweat coats my skin causing my t-shirt to stick to me in a sticky and uncomfortable fashion. The dream is always the same, and I've never been able to change it. I thought you were supposed to be able to change a lucid dream, and as aware as I always am in this dream I can never change it. Never move, never take the apple, never touch one of the wolves, never speak. I used to try and tell my parents about her, but they always said it was just a dream. But even now twenty years later I know it's not just a dream. I just don't know who she is and why she keeps appearing to me.<br />
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I push back the covers just wanting the stickiness off my skin and then I see the clock. Five am, the same damned time the damned dream wakes me up every morning. What is it about 5:00 am and this girl and her wolves. The funny thing is she always appears to be same age, early twenties, the same as me now. I wonder if she will always be that age. I wonder how I can change the dream, take the apple, pet the wolves, talk to her?<br />
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I groan as my alarm shrills ten minutes later. There's no help for it, I need to get up, shower and go to class. There are days that I hate the fact I decided to take classes in the Summer when all my friends are out partying and playing in the sun. Instead, I get to get up early go to class, go to my part-time job and then study. Ugh!<br />
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I pull myself into a sitting position and then walk into my tiny bathroom with it's tiny shower stall to turn on the water and give it a chance to heat. I chuck my t-shirt and panties and climb into the now hot shower. When I look to my little shower rack, I notice I'm nearly out of shower gel. One more thing to put on the list to buy. I sigh, sometimes being a grown up sucks. I liked it better when I could just add what I needed to my mom's grocery list and she'd buy it and I didn't have to worry about having enough money to make it through to my next work study paycheck or my next grocery clerk paycheck.<br />
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I squeeze a small amount of the gel onto my shower pouf, the strawberry scent mixing with the steam and engulfing me in the shower, sending me back to picking strawberries with my grandmother in her garden. Some days I miss Grams the most. I love my parents, but they don't understand me, not like Grams did.<br />
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I look at the clock high on the wall above the door and see that I've managed to spend fifteen minutes musing about shower gel, and Grams. I need to hurry up or I'm going to miss the bus that comes at and then where will I be? Late for my work study shift that's where. I scrub and rinse my body and hair in a hurry, and then shut off the blessed hot water and grab my favorite blue over-sized towel. I'd lucked out finding that one in a discount store. I hate small towels that barely cover you, and I really hate towels that don't wick the water off you. But that's a story for another day. Right now? Right now I need to get my shit together and get to the bus stop.<br />
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Copyright (c) 2017 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-20834366751480479982016-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:002016-10-31T07:00:14.891-07:00A Few Gifts for Readers...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_meaaz9y7EUSRi8M3uT1ON_-lMDbugIISZr3EqhedOxFGpezpeNs96tHEh727iRYd_jTprSiCc2Rn1rgAtEM8eq5m35HZm_UmXXO2qOkDJvsKIctQFpL98BcZiftDp87b8v70FJMIRFg/s1600/You+Are+Beautiful.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_meaaz9y7EUSRi8M3uT1ON_-lMDbugIISZr3EqhedOxFGpezpeNs96tHEh727iRYd_jTprSiCc2Rn1rgAtEM8eq5m35HZm_UmXXO2qOkDJvsKIctQFpL98BcZiftDp87b8v70FJMIRFg/s400/You+Are+Beautiful.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
I've been a little absentee lately from my blog, mainly because I've been dealing with life and I've had a lot of it to deal with lately. One of the ways though that I've been relaxing is taking online art classes. "What you're not writing?" You're thinking...LOL Yes, I'm still writing and yes that's relaxing too, but I've always wanted to be able to draw and create art and quite frankly I didn't think I had it in me. So, I've always wanted to draw, so one day when I was putzing around online I came across this delightful lady Tamara Laporte who had a few free art classes. I checked out her work, loved what I saw, the playfulness and comfort of her art I mean and thought, "I want to learn how to do that!" So, I took her free 4 week course Art, Heart and Healing and loved it. Suddenly I found that yes, I could draw, how about that! And now I'm working my way through some of her other free Life Book offerings that she has on her website and some lessons I purchased as well. What I love about Tam is that she believes anyone can learn to draw, and there's a lot of self-care information mixed in with her lessons. They frequently include meditations and other stuff that makes you feel really good about yourself. Can you tell I think she's awesome?! LOL<br />
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Okay, so before I share some of the art I've created based on her lessons and one that just sort of came to me while I was working on a piece, here's the free lessons she's offering now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AMWxYJPzKOcpG4Hh4p1nmggWbLzQ8RlfjKiYamW1HTaGEkJ3wJpuVJaFBBLoljJsjl0S5dGieBEo0HwfCPuEDzaRInpFDx-Xah5_yd-cDcXtrW47LUc0E71o7_8uEHR7qPJbfh6dSyI/s1600/You+Are+Loved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AMWxYJPzKOcpG4Hh4p1nmggWbLzQ8RlfjKiYamW1HTaGEkJ3wJpuVJaFBBLoljJsjl0S5dGieBEo0HwfCPuEDzaRInpFDx-Xah5_yd-cDcXtrW47LUc0E71o7_8uEHR7qPJbfh6dSyI/s400/You+Are+Loved.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.willowing.org/2010/05/21/art-heart-healing-a-free-course-for-all/" target="_blank">Art Heart and Healing</a> This is the free 4 week art course that I took initially.<br />
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<a href="http://www.willowing.org/2015/10/19/free-life-book-taster-yay/" target="_blank">Layers of You</a> This is a full blown art lesson that is from a year long course that Tam teaches along with other mixed media artists every year called Life Book. And she's the founder and creator of Life Book as well. I loved this lesson and the fact that she offers it completely free to anyone who visits her blog, you can even download the videos to your computer just makes it that much better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5pPuhqXcsshyphenhyphenZXONyZiF4ln51WPWI0bCLbCBBD9OQi4U9GEW3FfT_FPj9R1NkCdlkt1V2EVD_qeYHKgfNR4bRoN9jzIisS2b4h9sBZ6EigUjLnG9fJlPzoPcuk66LZIz7REWkdEJP4Y/s1600/No+Matter+How+Stormy+Your+Seas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5pPuhqXcsshyphenhyphenZXONyZiF4ln51WPWI0bCLbCBBD9OQi4U9GEW3FfT_FPj9R1NkCdlkt1V2EVD_qeYHKgfNR4bRoN9jzIisS2b4h9sBZ6EigUjLnG9fJlPzoPcuk66LZIz7REWkdEJP4Y/s400/No+Matter+How+Stormy+Your+Seas.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.willowing.org/2016/10/24/free-life-book-taster-the-happy-traveller/" target="_blank">The Happy Traveler</a> This is another Life Book lesson taster and one that I haven't taken yet. It will only be available until November 7, 2016, so if you like what you see I'd suggest downloading the videos and materials to your computer before the 7th so you can do the lesson when you're ready.<br />
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What can I say, Tam's lessons make me happy, doing art makes me happy, and I wanted to share the love! Want to learn even more about Tam and her art? Check out her website/blog at <a href="http://www.willowing.org/">www.willowing.org</a><br />
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Okay, rather than post all the art at the bottom here, I'm going to insert it to the right and left of different paragraphs. If you'd like to use any of these pieces as desktop backgrounds, please feel free to do so. I don't mind sharing as long as you don't claim them as your own.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-5848337588121827512016-06-15T07:00:00.000-07:002016-06-15T07:00:15.220-07:00Cover Reveal for The Last Jumper!I am so excited to share this awesome cover with you all. I've been talking about this book for over a year now, and posting snippets and I finally got have the cover now to share. Super exciting! So, without further ado, here is the cover for The Last Jumper. The Last Jumper will be released on July 31, 2016.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cc02iFQFadCJDazjeg2GA3zulNnjGZVvmvJELvz3njh7s1YIl6Qc3Pvvx22vzGss0oMYxxaiXgMQK3TPh4ldcncXedGhV8Bw1keRe6fOER3CpKBIRFmZ1Jvq9JWfcFTJO4jm5nsqT-o/s1600/The+Last+Jumper+by+Regina+Paul+Final+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cc02iFQFadCJDazjeg2GA3zulNnjGZVvmvJELvz3njh7s1YIl6Qc3Pvvx22vzGss0oMYxxaiXgMQK3TPh4ldcncXedGhV8Bw1keRe6fOER3CpKBIRFmZ1Jvq9JWfcFTJO4jm5nsqT-o/s640/The+Last+Jumper+by+Regina+Paul+Final+Cover.jpg" width="440" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Blurb:</u></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">From the moment his family was murdered, Rain has been on a mission to kill or send back to hell as many demons as he can. To do so he has had to "jump" from one body to another, allowing him to live the equivalent of several lifetimes, and to follow humanity and the demons out into space.When Rain awakens, it is not in the place he fell asleep. It isn't even on the same planet, and there are no more Jumpers. He discovers that while he was sleeping the demons have been very busy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">Connor, Stephen, and Jessie are husbands and fathers. On a world where some men are able to procreate, quad relationships are the norm, and Jumpers are just a part of their ancient history, Rain is something of an anomaly. But maybe a welcome one. The three men take Rain home with them, and help him to recover, at least physically. It becomes clear though that Rain hasn't just been fighting demons outside himself, but ones from within as well.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Roboto, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 22px;">Will these three men and their sons be able to help Rain heal? Love isn't part of the bargain for Rain or so he thinks, but bonding with Connor, Stephen, and Jesse may be the only thing that can save his new family and their world.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-62526590504174892862016-02-28T07:00:00.000-08:002016-02-28T07:00:11.974-08:00Beta Readers Wanted!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxtmRT34GAbU0pkVa_XqvzwkSkOEufikIFdg-Yju4jkIzZdPEMd6-vT4FuLRVcq18i9EnLcAeOTe4l2tir1vMZkg5g372XN3SiM558G6fAYnkmf5POo6H9-KQWAP5gvkzqcL7bNKuqwo/s1600/Wanted+Beta+Readers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxtmRT34GAbU0pkVa_XqvzwkSkOEufikIFdg-Yju4jkIzZdPEMd6-vT4FuLRVcq18i9EnLcAeOTe4l2tir1vMZkg5g372XN3SiM558G6fAYnkmf5POo6H9-KQWAP5gvkzqcL7bNKuqwo/s320/Wanted+Beta+Readers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I recently completed a book that I've been working on for the better part of two years. It's different from some of my other books in that it is an M/M/M/M polyamory romance. And there is a bit of gender bending as well, but in a good way I think. At this time I'm looking for beta readers. You don't have to have been a beta reader before to be one of mine, but I do suggest that you read the article <a href="http://www.smallbluedog.com/what-makes-a-good-beta-reader.html" target="_blank">What Makes a Good Beta Reader by Belinda Pollard</a>. This will give you a good idea of what is expected of you as a beta reader. If you would like to participate and read a copy of The Last Jumper and give me some beta reader feedback you can e-mail me at <a href="mailto:regina@reginapaul.com" target="_blank">regina@reginapaul.com</a><br />
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Here's the tentative blurb:<br />
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From the moment his family was murdered, Rain has been on a mission to kill or send back to hell as many demons as he can. To do so he has had to "jump" from one body to another, allowing him to live the equivalent of several lifetimes, and to follow humanity and the demons out into space.When Rain awakens, it is not in the place he fell asleep. It isn't even on the same planet, and there are no more Jumpers. He discovers that while he was sleeping the demons have been very busy.<br />
<br />
Connor, Stephen, and Jessie are husbands and fathers. On a world where some men are able to procreate, quad relationships are the norm, and Jumpers are just a part of their ancient history, Rain is something of an anomaly. But maybe a welcome one. The three men take Rain home with them, and help him to recover, at least physically. It becomes clear though that Rain hasn't just been fighting demons outside himself, but ones from within as well.<br />
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Will these three men and their sons be able to help Rain heal? Love isn't part of the bargain for Rain or so he thinks, but bonding with Connor, Stephen, and Jesse may be the only thing that can save his new family and their world.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8474276766747789610.post-13631616236942319282016-02-25T07:00:00.000-08:002016-02-25T07:00:00.151-08:005 Reasons Authors Should Color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.reginapaul.com/p/my-bookstore.html#!/Adult-Coloring-Books/c/14484023/inview=product54536386&offset=0&sort=normal" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0OUwG8Y3LPFo1SoR6hEpeK6T7_swOLgRyv4k4qcvH5rTeZrD2X2UGmRpgP0hqgvxfpI0-1byDAG0VpylqwXUz0b6WVjTpvHzYMrKylfmvrGNqUHYt45kaEIWedLwZPVMvGNlpO3vD_w/s320/Pretty+Mandalas.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
If you've been watching the news or hanging out online (or Amazon) then you've probably noticed the digital and paperback piles of adult coloring books, and supplies. Coloring for adults took off in a big way in April of last year, and experts are saying they don't see any slow down anytime soon. Believe it or not this is a good thing if you're an author. I've actually been experimenting with different coloring pages, and even creating some of my own and the amazing thing is I'm finding benefits beyond what the experts are saying, mainly in huge boosts of creativity.<br />
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Here are five reasons you want to start coloring if you're an author and you haven't already:<br />
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1. It's relaxing. If you've been trying to work out a scene, or you don't know where you're going with a scene, coloring for a while may help your mind relax enough to find the answer. I know it has for me.<br />
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2. It calms the amygdala. The amygdala is the part of the brain that is affected when we become overly stressed which can happen when we're trying to meet a deadline, or we have too much on our plate and we can't calm our mind enough to sit down to write. Coloring calms the part of our brains that deal with panic, and anxiety.<br />
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3. Coloring trains your mind to focus. With all the different stressors many writers have including things like a day job, kids, spouse, grocery shopping, house cleaning, you name it, focusing can be difficult. Those who color regularly find they can more easily focus on the things that matter.<br />
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4. Coloring turns on the logic part of our brain, and as writers we need that part! Let's face it if we write something that doesn't seem logical, our readers are going to notice. And we don't want that! So, activating this part of your brain can help you with keeping it real in your fiction.<br />
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5. Coloring induces a creative mind set. Coloring is creative in and of itself. You can choose a page that really appeals to you and then choose whatever colors you want to.<br />
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If you're an author (or even if you aren't) and don't already color then you're missing out on a great way to relax, be creative, and have fun!<br />
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And just for fun, here's a little plug about my new coloring book, Pretty Mandalas available through my bookstore on the website here! It has 25 different mandala designs that you can print out and color for only $2.99!<br />
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Also, if you'd like the occasional free adult coloring pages, please sign up for my newsletter, the form is to the right of this article. :-)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0