Yet again, I’ve fallen off the face of the earth. I actually tried to do several blog posts since the last one I posted, but none of them felt right. So, I put them aside until I could go back and make them better. Or well, I’ll probably end up completely re-doing them.
Anyway, I decided today that I’d do an update on the projects I’ve been working on. I still have a long way to go until I’m ready to start posting them on Wattpad and/or Inkitt. I really want to get at least half of both written before any chapters go up. Just so I’m sure that I’m done with most of the heavy editing (as I tend to do when I write) and so that there won’t be lag time between chapters.
As of now, I’ve only gotten about 2.5 chapters written on both. And I need to finish the chapter plots. I’ve only gotten up to Chapter 9 plotted on “Into the Flames” and up to Chapter 5 plotted on “All the Pretty Ones” though I do have rough outlines finished for both stories.
It’s been hard.
I’m not sure if it’s a side effect of pushing myself too hard to get things down on paper since I really want to start posting soon. Or maybe my writer’s block is from real-life stress. Either way, for the last couple of weeks, I haven’t been able to do much writing or plotting. I lost a bit of the spark, even though I really wanted to work on these two projects.
Thankfully, today I started to come out of it a bit. I got ideas for both and did some writing and plotting. And plan to do a lot more after I finish this post. However, I wanted to give you guys a bit of a sneak peek at what’s coming up.
Hope you enjoy!
All the Pretty Ones
Murder Mystery/Thriller
Synopsis: Journalist Eva Byrne swore she’d never go back to her hometown. There was nothing left in Byrnewood, Oklahoma, after all. Her parents and grandparents are dead. Most of the town iced her family out long before she could remember for reasons no one ever explained.
All she has there is her family’s old house that she can’t seem to give up. Which is fine. She’s happy with her life now, traveling around the country covering murders that others have forgotten. Seeking justice for others that no one else wants to help.
Until one day… Byrnewood calls her back.
One by one, women from her high school class are dying. Horrible, heinous deaths.
Eva doesn’t want to go back home, but even she can’t deny the pull. What she doesn’t expect is to find herself in the middle of the investigation or to catch the attention of FBI agent Mark Collins.
Who is killing these women? And could they possibly have Eva in their sights next?
Prologue
He walked back over to the truck, hearing whimpers behind him just under the gravel crunching beneath his boots.
“Please… p-please…” she whispered, the gentle breeze just barely carrying her voice to him.
He said nothing as he pulled the gas can out from the bed of his truck and walked back over.
“I’m… I’m s-sorry,” she sobbed.
Again, he didn’t respond as he poured the gasoline on the teepee of wood on the ground around the post. He had made sure there was a good radius around it so that he didn’t accidentally set the whole pasture on fire. He wanted to be noticed, but not that much.
The lonely dirt road was quiet this time of time with nothing around them save the breeze and the crickets. An occasional coyote howling in the distance. Even the cattle in the nearby pasture were down for the night. Come morning, there would be people driving up and down it, headed out for work.
But for now, it was just him. And her.
The two of them at the start of something new. Something healing. Something that would bring her back to him.
Once done, he stepped back to survey his work. The wood was soaked enough to get a good fire going. His eyes then drifted up the post to the woman tied there. The only thing that was keeping her up was the barbed wire tightly binding her to the post. It was a shame, really. She was beautiful. Or at least she had been. On the outside. But she had a wicked heart inside that had festered since the time she was a little girl.
At least now the outside matched the inside.
And she had been so proud. She had shrieked and cried like a baby once she woke up in his workshop. And yet, she still insisted she had done nothing wrong. Swore she didn’t remember. Even when he did his best to force it out of her. The acknowledgment of what she had done all those years ago.
“Wh… why?” she managed to get out, her head lulling back and forth against her chest.
She tried to lift her head, but it flopped back down, her dark hair now in clots and matted with dried blood.
“You know why, darlin’,” he said, his voice clear. It was the first words he had said to her since they left. “But now ya gotta take that up with the Good Lord.”
“Pl-please…”
She shifted, as though she thought she could escape. But he knew she couldn’t. And now it was time.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches. Lighting one, he watched it for a second, fascinated by the small flame. He then tossed it over and backed up quickly, not wanting to get caught up in the flames.
As soon as it hit the wood, it erupted, quickly engulfing the wood below. The woman began screaming, a last-minute bout of strength coming over her as she jerked around. Though rather than getting anywhere, the barbs just dug in deeper to her bruised and battered skin. More blood draining out of her and mixing with the dirt and dried blood from before.
He stood and watched, taking just a moment to survey his work. He didn’t want to do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. It was the only way. And well, he had never been afraid to get his hands a little dirty from time to time.
With a sigh, he turned, picked up the gas can, and strode back to the truck, loading the can into the back before getting into the cab. He started it up and took off down the road, the old radio starting up. A small smile came across his face as the old tape started over. He was surprised the old thing still played as many times as he had listened to it.
“I cross my heart… and promise to…” he sang under his breath.
His heart began to beat rapidly as he glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing the flames growing.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Into the Flames - Fisher’s Bay Book 2 (Sequel to Into the Fog)
Urban Fantasy/Paranormal
Synopsis: Nadia has been taken.
Still reeling after learning that her father is not only a demon, but the King of Lust, Nadia has to keep her wits about her and find a way to escape. However, being whisked off to the king’s realm comes with its own issues - namely that he’s forced all of Nadia’s powers to hit her at once.
Nadia isn’t sure she can trust herself not to become something she despises - especially when all the different supernatural parts of her seem to be fighting for control. But perhaps she doesn’t have to do it alone. Nadia hopes she can sway her handler - and half brother - Leo to her side.
Left behind, Remy must put together a rescue plan, though this involves working with one of the creatures he trusts the least - a demon. Not to mention Cian is being cageier than usual, which is unsettling. What could have even the all-powerful fae king nervous?
Failure is not an option, but how does one go against a demon king? Especially one with bigger plans for Nadia than anyone could imagine or expect?
Except
Nadia frantically paced around in the small cell, her movements twitchy and skin crackling like there was something crawling around under it. Her head was pounding with a constant ache that had settled in ever since Asmodeus had done… whatever it was he had done.
All Nadia knew was that she hurt in ways she had never hurt before and then it was gone. The following minutes, hours, or however long were fuzzy. As though she was there, but she wasn’t. Nadia wondered if she had been having some sort of out-of-body experience, because she watched herself talk to Asmodeus, call him “Father.” Saw her eyes glow red. And then snarl and yank at the bars when told she wouldn’t be released just yet.
It was like she had been shoved into the backseat of her mind while someone - rather, something - else took over the wheel. Nadia had screamed and pounded at the invisible barrier in her head until finally she had wrestled back control.
And here she was. Alone in a cell somewhere within Asmodeus’ realm with no idea how to get out or where the realm even was.
But she had to escape. She couldn’t stay here.
Even with whatever boundaries were separating them, Nadia felt a constant pain in her heart. She stopped her frantic movement, her hand resting on her chest as she thought about Remy. She had to get back to him.
God, he must be losing his shit right now. Even with the hurtful words he had said to her in the Archives, he had come after her, somehow sensing she was in trouble. Had tried to rescue her from Trevor, or whoever the hell had kidnapped her for Asmodeus. Nadia had no doubt that he would come for her, but she couldn’t just sit around and wait.
She needed to find a way out on her own.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
Nadia spun around, stifling a squeal as the same man - demon - from before appeared out of nowhere in front of her cell, his hands folded behind his back. He sniffed slightly as he took in her appearance, almost as though her mere presence offended him in some way.
“What do you want?” she asked, backing away from him.
The demon frowned, looking slightly confused. But the moment passed quickly as his expression returned to an unreadable mask.
“Personally, I’d prefer you not be here at all, but it’s what Father wants,” he said with a sigh.
Nadia’s brow furrowed, then her mouth dropped open when it hit her what he had just said. He called Asmodeus “Father.” Meaning…
“Holy shit. You’re my brother,” she stated.
The demon rolled his eyes, huffing under his breath.
“Half brother,” he replied snidely. “Unlike you, I’m pure. My mother was a demoness of high standing in Asmodeus’ court.”
Nadia swore his eyes blazed in hatred for a split second, but it happened so quickly that she wasn’t sure it had been there in the first place. Either way, it was obvious the demon had something against her. She wasn’t sure if it was because she wasn't a full demon or something else.
“What’s your name?” she asked, taking a cautious step towards the bars.
She didn’t think he’d hurt her - Asmodeus wanted her for a reason, after all - but she wasn’t completely sure.
“Leo,” he said.
“Nice to meet you, Leo,” she said, offering him a nervous smile and hoping that playing the nice card might work.
Leo snorted as he shook his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes.
“What is Father thinking?” he muttered so softly that Nadia wasn’t positive she actually heard him. He then fixed her in a piercing glare. “I’m here to provide instruction. With the binding on your demon powers now undone, you must learn to master them, lest you accidentally murder the entire kingdom. I’m assuming the… other… parts of you have been unbound and you’ve mastered them?”
Nadia just stared at him, blinking occasionally. Leo huffed and massaged his temples.
“I could kill people?” Nadia asked, her heart racing.
“Well… yes. It’s a necessary part of life, though you’ll probably enjoy it at some point,” Leo said. He stepped closer to the bars, staring at her. “Have you shifted?”
“I can’t kill people,” Nadia sputtered, her mind quickly racing down that rabbithole as she ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not a killer. Holy shit.” She felt a strong nudge on the edges of her mind, a presence demanding to be let forward. “Fucking stop it! I’m not letting you out again!”
In a second, Leo was before her inside the cell, slapping her face. Nadia whipped her head back around and snarled - actually snarled - at him as an uncontrollable rage ran through her. She wanted to rip his head off as her fingernails lengthened into claws and she felt her gums start to ache.
Leo calmly took a step back, a smirk appearing.
“Well, hello Miss Wolf.”
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