Thursday, October 29, 2020

Hollywood Enigma Release Blitz

Hollywood Name Game, Book 5

Contemporary Romance

Release Date: October 29, 2020


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From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston – the final book in the exciting Hollywood Name Game – a stunning new contemporary romance series. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

 

She’s a legal shark—sleek and deadly—but doesn’t trust anyone beyond her small circle of family and friends.

He’s internationally famous—and yet a mystery to the world as he cloaks himself in privacy.

Can they shed their fears and open their hearts to one another?

Actor Wynn Gallagher is at the peak of his fame, playing superhero Carbon Man in the Alpha Tharra Universe film franchise. While the role has made him wealthy, he’s ready to move on to newer challenges—but his ironclad contract will keep him tied to the role for years to come. Seeking legal advice, he approaches Scarlett Corrigan, one of the top entertainment attorneys in Los Angeles.

Scarlett is the younger sister of Hollywood’s highest paid actor, Rhett Corrigan, but she’s made a name for herself in entertainment law. She thrives on challenges and readily accepts Wynn as a client, but she puts the brakes on the strong attraction between them, not wanting to mix business with pleasure.

Eventually, Wynn and Scarlett become involved but tragedy strikes not once, but twice, threatening to end their relationship before it has a chance to grow and flourish.

Can Wynn and Scarlett overcome overwhelming odds and find lasting love?

 

Hollywood Enigma is the fifth and final book in the Hollywood Name Game series. Each book in the series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.

 

Other Books in the Hollywood Name Game Romance Series:

 



Hollywood Heartbreaker

Hollywood Name Game, Book 1

Release Date: August 6, 2020

 

From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston comes a stunning new Contemporary Romance series. Book One in the exciting Hollywood Name Game series has arrived. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

 

Being late to an interview lands her the biggest job opportunity of her life.

He may be rich and successful—but he’s just this side of miserable.

Can a wannabe be The One for the biggest star in Hollywood?

Cassie Carroll came to Hollywood with big dreams that never materialized. Acting isn’t even on the back burner anymore—it’s completely off the stove. Working for a third-rate agent, Cassie hopes to land a new job that will give her credibility, as well as help pay the rent. Late to her interview, she swerves to avoid hitting a dog—and totals the car of Hollywood’s leading action superstar. Surprisingly, she walks away from their encounter with a job—as the sexiest man alive’s personal assistant.

Rhett Corrigan is bored with the movies he makes and the drop-dead gorgeous model he’s dating. He’s afraid that Hollywood has typecast him—and that he’ll never be able to break out of his action mold and try new acting challenges. When Cassie Carroll literally slams into his life, she brings a breath of fresh air and common sense to his world. She pushes him to be a better actor and a better man.

Can these friends become lovers—and can their love survive—in a tabloid-happy town that thrives on rumors and backstabbing?

Amazon


 


Hollywood Flirt

Hollywood Name Game. Book 2

Release Date: August 27, 2020

 

From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston – Book Two in the exciting Hollywood Name Game – a stunning new contemporary romance series. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited! 

She’s Hollywood royalty whose trail vanished a dozen years ago.

He doesn’t do relationships and thinks commitment is a four-letter word.

They Google each other . . . and sparks fly . . .

Sydney Revere, the daughter of a famous movie couple, left Hollywood behind over a decade ago. Christened The Wild Child by the media, she reinvents herself as a serious student who becomes an attorney and marries a safe, predictable man. When her husband cheats on her and the law loses its glitter, Sydney returns to Hollywood. Her father hires her to storyboard his upcoming movie, No Regrets—and then stuns Sydney when he offers her the job as his assistant director.

Dash DeLauria is a rising actor who hasn’t trusted a woman since his mother left. He’s now the guardian of his mentally-challenged brother. Dash is looking to grow professionally and after he wins the lead in No Regrets, he finds he’s lost his heart and soul to Sydney. With both their careers on the upswing, life is sweet.

But Sydney’s ex-husband isn’t finished with her yet. Discovering who she really is—and that she’s wealthy—he tracks her to California, ready to start over with her again.

No matter what it takes . . .

 

Amazon

 

 



Hollywood Player

Hollywood Name Game, Book3

Release Date: September 17, 2020

 

She has zero friends . . . and is wary of men, living life as a recluse.

His only friend is 90 and when she dies, he’s adrift.

Can a dyslexic actor and a shy loner find happiness together?

Famous from the time she was fourteen, London Russell lands the cover of Sports Illustrated to cap off her modeling career. Leaving the fashion world behind, she follows her dream of becoming a singer-songwriter. Thanks to an ex-boyfriend’s vicious attack on her, London becomes a recluse who turns out hits but never tours—and can’t trust a man. Her life changes course when she encounters a Hollywood screenwriter and director and agrees to write the theme song for their next movie.

Knox Monroe grew up as America’s darling, a child actor featured on several popular television series. After his mother’s betrayal, Knox drops out of sight, returning years later to make the successful transition to adult roles. A known womanizer and loner, Knox meets London by chance. Through her connections, he winds up with the lead role in a new movie.

Will London be able to open her heart and move past Knox’s player reputation? And will Knox knock down the emotional fortress that he’s built around his heart?

In Hollywood, anything’s possible. . .

 

Amazon

 

 


Hollywood Double
Hollywood Name Game, Book 4
Release Date: October 8, 2020

From internationally bestselling romance author Alexa Aston – Book Four in the exciting Hollywood Name Game – a stunning new contemporary romance series – has arrived. Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

She’s a Hollywood leading lady who’s never found love – except with Jax, her Basenji.

He’s divorced from a cheating wife and refuses to ever give his heart away again.

Together, their smoking-hot chemistry leads to movie magic . . . and murder . . .

Mac Randall’s life turns upside down when he walks in on his wife and her lover. He finishes his tour of duty overseas and leaves the army, becoming a popular stuntman in Hollywood. When the actor Mac doubles for is murdered, Mac is surprised to find himself cast as the film’s leading man—at the suggestion of the actress who will play opposite him.

Keely Kennedy has built a solid career in Hollywood, rising from supporting roles to leading lady, but she’s been unlucky in love. She becomes close friends with Mac Randall, her new co-star, while she helps him prepare for his first on-screen role. Friendship blossoms into love during their shoot and despite several mishaps on the set, she knows not only has she done the best work in her career on this film, but she believes Mac will become an instant star.

Before production is complete, though, the murderer surfaces—ready to kill the film—and its two stars.

Hollywood Double is the fourth book in the Hollywood Name Game series. Each book in the series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.

Amazon

 

 

 

 Excerpt

 

Wynn had never experienced such a physical rush as he did sitting next to Scarlett. The tall beauty fascinated him. Over the years, he’d quietly seen a few women but as his success mounted, he’d almost lost interest in the opposite sex. Or rather, they’d lost interest in him. No one wanted to know Wynn as a person. Every woman seemed more interested in being seen with Wynn Gallagher, the superstar, and what that could do for them. He found himself shrinking inside until he’d almost disappeared.

Scarlett was different. A highly paid professional in a competitive field. Comfortable in her own skin. She came from a world where she mingled with the rich and famous on a regular basis. She didn’t seem impressed sitting next to Carbon Man. She treated him as Wynn, a guy—not Wynn, the megastar.

That was a huge turn-on.

He noticed people seated at tables around them began rising. Scarlett scooped up her casino money and he said, “You must’ve done Sarah a good favor to get double the money to play with.”

Those mesmerizing gray eyes looked at him with amusement. “I helped her work out a problem that arose at the last minute.”

With a straight face, he said, “It involved a demanding donor who wanted a front row seat to tonight’s action, I’d guess.”

The corners of her sensual mouth turned up. “I believe it did. Fortunately, this donor came alone. No plus-one. Since I ended a relationship this morning, it was easy to insert this fussy donor into my plus-one’s seat.” Her smile widened. “Problem solved.”

“Was this a longtime plus-one?” he asked.

She shrugged. “A couple of months. I had the feeling Chaz was more interested in the people he would see tonight and chat up than he was spending time with me.”

“Then Chaz is a fool,” Wynn said. “I’ve known you less than two hours and see you’re smart, capable, interesting, and incredibly beautiful. If I were your plus-one, it would be hard to get rid of me. I’d be stuck to you like glue.”

Her eyes lit with interest. “You would?”

“Definitely.”

 


About the Author

 

Award-winning and internationally bestselling author Alexa Aston lives with her husband in a Dallas suburb, where she eats her fair share of dark chocolate and plots out stories while she walks every morning. She’s a binge fiend (The Crown and Ozark are favorites) who enjoys travel, sports, and time with her family. 

Her historical romances bring to life loveable rogues and dashing knights, while her contemporary romances are light and flirty and sometimes contain a bit of suspense.

 

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Dance With Me Promo Post and Review

 


DANCE WITH ME

by Judith Crow

 

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GENRE:  YA (Fantasy)

 

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BLURB:

Don’t tell anyone, but Kelli spends all her free time listening to folk music. Ok, it’s not what you’d expect from a popular fifteen-year-old, but that’s why she doesn’t want the whole world to know.

When Kelli follows the mysterious Tam Lane, she finds herself in a place where folk songs come to life. As she comes to terms with the world, she makes friends, uses her privilege to help others, and even falls in love.

But Kelli has forgotten the fates which await so many characters in the songs, and she soon finds herself surrounded by heartbreak. Determined to protect the people she has left, can Kelli change a fate which has been sung for centuries?

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt 

“So, what is Carterhaugh?”

“It’s in the Scottish borders,” he replied. “You must have heard of it before, Kelli.”

Kelli thought about it. The name sounded familiar, but she knew nothing about Scotland to speak of, and certainly nothing beyond the visitor attractions in Edinburgh. “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know where.”

“Well, it’s a kind of gateway,” Tam explained. “There are beautiful gardens, and the land is very fertile so it is said that any seed to touch the earth will grow into the greatest of its kind. It was the birthplace of the ancient kings.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Kelli asked. “Or with Jehovah’s Witnesses for that matter?”

“Nothing at all,” Tam replied. “But you must have asked about it for a reason.”

“Yes, I did,” Kelli said, thrusting the magazine back into Tam’s hands with her thumb marking the last page. It fell open as Tam took it from her, and a picture of smiling children covered most of the back page, with the title ‘Bible Questions Answered’ and a small amount of text. 

“Yes?”

“It was there!” Kelli said, a shiver running down her spine. She flicked through the magazine, but the page was nowhere to be seen. “It was there. There was a picture of a wood and a river.”

“That is Carterhaugh,” Tam said. “The birthplace of kings. You should go there. You’d like it.”

“How would you know?”

Review

Dance With Me is a well-written story with a fascinating premise. A mysterious young man named Tam Lane shows up at the home of Kelli, a disenchanted teenager who has just broken up with her boyfriend and feels disconnected from her family. When Kelli agrees to dance with Tam, he whisks her into the past.

There is no strong profanity in the book and the romantic interactions are described more in terms of emotion than action. There are no explicit descriptions of violence, however, several characters die in unpleasant ways.

I enjoyed the way that the lines from various folk ballads tied in with each chapter and the view into what it would be like to live in the Middle Ages in Scotland. I don't recommend it. Life was very difficult and had a tendency to be short. The descriptions of the places and scenarios that Kelli encounters are realistic and rather bleak rather than being romantic and glamorous. Women are seen as the property of men and are expected to be quiet and obedient.

I give Dance With Me four out of five stars. The story is compelling and competently written, but I dislike it enough when stories written for adult women obsess on weight and dieting. This narrative is even more damaging when stories with adolescent girls as the target audience do so. Eating disorders are a serious problem, and passages such as this normalize and reinforce diet culture.

"Kelli had not taken part in any exercise and was becoming aware that, even during the week, she had been forced to loosen some of the laces on the dresses Ailric had gifted her. She wondered what Marcus would say if he could see how she had put on weight. Probably something like ‘I don’t believe a perfect ten can be a twelve, chunky-monkey’. She vowed she would lose the weight again within the next week."

As someone who tried to hate herself thin for 33 years, I would love it if authors would rethink including this sort of narrative in their stories. I would have loved it if Kelli had thought something like "but Marcus was an idiot, and she was glad that she had broken up with him. She couldn't be bothered to dwell on such nonsense now."

I would have given the book five stars if it had not included this unwanted helping of size shaming and diet talk.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Judith was born in Orkney, grew up in Lincolnshire, and now lives in the far north of Scotland. Her writing is inspired by the experiences of her life so far and she loves picking up on quirks and immortalising them in fiction.

Judith’s new book, Dance With Me, combines her love of folk music and creative writing, and finds her main character in a world where folk songs come to life. Her debut book, The Backwater, was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards 2019.

When she isn’t writing, Judith is a primary school teacher who enjoys crafting and music, as well as being a generally doting spaniel owner.

Website

www.judithcrow.co.uk

www.crowvus.com

 

Twitter

@jayzed_kay

 

Buy link:

 https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Me-Judith-Crow-ebook/dp/B08GC86MG7

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 


Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Sally's Scribbles: WEP OCTOBER 2020 - REGRETS - DL

Sally's Scribbles: WEP OCTOBER 2020 - REGRETS - DL:   WEP OCTOBER CHALLENGE GRAVE MISTAKE REGRETS   I didn’t kiss him goodbye I didn’t wave at the gate I didn’t text him that day I didn’t retu...

There are a lot of things that I did in my younger years where I'm lucky I didn't kill myself or someone else. Driving drunk or high is always the wrong choice. This piece is very well-written.

Blog of Author J Lenni Dorner: Grave Mistake #WEP #FlashFiction #2020 #TimeTravel

Blog of Author J Lenni Dorner: Grave Mistake #WEP #FlashFiction #2020 #TimeTravel: Join the enthusiastic writers at WEP. Sign up or read. #amwriting , #amreading , #amediting , #ff , #flashfiction , #nonfiction , #poetry...

What a terrible situation to be stuck in. My temptation would be to stop Dan before he has a chance to go into the past and muck things up even more.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Crazy Rich Aliens Book Blitz


Science Fiction

Date Published: August 2020


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Penda is heiress to one of the richest families in southeast Asia. Her dream is to create a startup that will commercialize space travel to Mars. To go her own way will ruin her relationship with her family, which is already strained from her being openly gay. Paul, her twin brother, wants to maintain family traditions and is angry with Penda for turning her back on them. Worse, Penda’s business partner is Paul’s ex-fiancée.

At an elaborate costume ball, Penda and Paul meet Luke, a gorgeous stranger wearing an alien “costume”. They join him on an exotic yacht and after a night of partying, wake up on Tauran, a planet of gender-neutral beings. After their initial shock, Paul comes to view the trip as a business opportunity, while Penda prefers to learn about Tauran culture.

Penda soon falls for the amiable Timbor (Luke), heir to the richest fortune in the galaxy. Then the warm welcome to Tauran evaporates. Terrorists abduct Penda. She escapes but is relentlessly hunted. She must now evade government agents, xenophobes, and Timbor’s jealous suitor on a strange planet, while foiling a plot to invade Earth, and defending her new friend, an alien.


Praise for Crazy Rich Aliens:


Crazy Rich Aliens is more than a parody." —New York Times bestselling author Andrew Shaffer

A rip-roaring tale with Cannon’s trademark engagingly quirky aliens.” —Hugo Award-winner Morgan Gendel

JC Canon’s strengths are on full display in Crazy Rich Aliens. The complex characters and detailed world-building will keep you coming back for every last bit of this fun and engrossing tale!” —J.D. Sanderson, author of AROUND THE DARK DIAL





Excerpt


Excerpt from Crazy Rich Aliens, Chapter 11


Join our rebellion. The group here, representatives of their species, gathers information, collects supplies, and creates distractions to cover for more aggressive and disruptive acts by our fighters. They are hiding in caves outside of town where the magnetic properties of the hills keep them hidden from Tauran scans. We could use your help.”

I’ll try to speak with Timbor. What else can we do?”

Chato reached between the workers at the table and picked out what looked like small pellets and showed them to Paul and Su-Yee. “Place one of these into Timbor, Kandra, and Murta’s pockets. Don’t worry if you can’t do all of them. They will aid our friends in the field to track and kidnap them and force the release of our people. We just want to go home.” Chato placed a hand on Paul’s chest, its eyes pleading.

Paul slid the hand away and shook his head. “Won’t they just recapture you from your planet?”

They took us by surprise in the initial attack. Our defenses will keep it from happening again.”

It wouldn’t be right to betray people who have shown us nothing but kindness.”

So, you asked to be brought to Tauran?”

No, but—"

You haven’t asked to return?”

Yes, but—”

And you are free to walk around anywhere you like?”

I have concerns over our treatment and their real intentions,” said Su-Yee. “I’m willing to speak to Timbor, but if the Taurans are as vicious and conniving as you say they are, I’m afraid we would put our own lives in peril.”

One of the larger aliens at the table stood and took a swat at Chato, knocking it back and yelling something. Chato responded and the alien abruptly stood and continued the shouting while stealing glances at Paul and Su-Yee.

Paul edged into the doorway, now filled with onlookers, pulling Su-Yee with him.

Chato shoved the alien back to its seat. “They don’t trust you. Run!” An alien across the table fired a weapon at Chato, slamming its body into the wall.

Paul grabbed Su-Yee’s hand and pulled her down the narrow corridor, dodging bodies as they went. They heard yelling behind them, but they didn’t turn to look. It must have been a call to arms, as the aliens in the corridor attacked them. Their weakened states and smaller frames made it easy for Paul to shove past them. He even tossed a couple at their pursuers.

They reached the storage room and closed the door behind them. Paul wedged a shelf against it. “It won’t hold long.”

What do you suggest?”

Paul responded by lifting the grate from the floor and glancing at Su-Yee for approval.

Su-Yee shook her head. “There’s alien sewage and dead bodies down there.”

Paul nodded, then jumped into the darkness. Su-Yee shrieked, stamped her feet, and pounded her fists against her sides. As the door gave way, she jumped down after him.


About the Author

Jay Cannon (JC) grew up in the projects of western Michigan. After high school, he joined the Navy where he worked on the flight deck of aircraft carriers. After leaving the Navy, JC spent twenty years as a computer programmer, mostly at startups, in the United States, England, France and Sweden. After working at Microsoft for sixteen years, he retired and moved to DC where he joined Congress as a technical fellow. At the end of the fellowship, he and his wife moved to Richmond, Virginia and joined the James River Writers where he writes. He has written two technical manuals, five science fiction novels and a poetry book.


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Saturday, October 24, 2020

Shadows of Atlantis Awakening Book Blitz

Fantasy

Publisher: SOA, LLC

 

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Brigitte is an emissary of nature chosen to renew the treaty between Atlantis and the ancient bloodline of Lemuria. Her sacred betrothal would renew the function of the Crystal Grid that powers the ten kingdoms of Atlantis. But her people are attacked by a storm of shadows, and now she is running for her life.

Upon her arrival in the ruling city, she meets D’Vinid, a dejected musician who lives the quintessential Atlantean lifestyle of revelry, escapism and apathy. Under the eclipse of a holy festival marking the union of Atlantis’s mystical technology with nature, they are swept into an attraction they cannot resist. They become the embodiment of two gods whose union is meant to protect humanity from a deadly enemy - the Shadows of Atlantis. But this man is not her betrothed.

Brigitte discovers the Grid is corrupted by psychic parasites that feed off human suffering, a sweeping epidemic called “The Madness.” The rituals required to charge the Grid with psychic emanations have been poorly attended, and this has caused the Grid to malfunction. But as nature always strives toward balance, the crystals have activated a genetic upgrade, and the youth have begun to express supernatural powers. Could it be that Brigitte and D’Vinid are meant to be leaders among the awakened? And if so, why does it seem impossible for them to be together?

A mysterious tale of romance, seduction and betrayal that reaches just enough into the modern mind to ask - will we learn the lessons of Atlantis?




About the Author



Mara Powers is a modern Renaissance woman, scholar, traveler, musician, producer and philosopher, all of which feed her writing. She has been researching the mysteries of lost civilizations since she was a teenager, a quest that has become a personal hero’s journey. She hails from the mountains of Colorado and the west side of Los Angeles where she spends her days wandering the shores of the ocean, dreaming up Atlantis.


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Friday, October 23, 2020

Key to Eternity Book Blitz

Paranormal Thriller

Date Published: March 2020

Publisher: Archway Publishing

 

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Female psychic detective, Epiphany Mayall is on the track of stolen antiquities and a clay tablets relating the Epic of Gilgamesh. Through a combination of her psychic abilities and the technological resources of PI Maro Gaido and the FBI's art crimes division, they zero in on the mysterious conspirators who people the shady global underworld of the arts and antiquities black market. Can they find the Gilgamesh tablet with its map to the “flower of immortality,” or will the treasure disappear forever into the private vault of a billionaire art thief?




Excerpt


Chapter 1

The Spiritualist Camp

Watoolahatchee, Florida


Nana, Nana! Come quick.”

Epiphany Mayall got to her feet and hurried across the dining room. “What is it, Maddie?”

Look, Nana. Endora’s acting really funny.”

Epiphany leaned forward and peered out the window. Endora, her black and white cat, was crouched in the grass, completely focused on something. The cat suddenly flinched and jumped sideways, then resumed its position as though preparing to pounce.

She’s stalking something,” Epiphany said, “But I can’t see what it is.” Even as she spoke, the cat once again sprang sideways and dropped to the ground.

What do you think it is, Nana?”

A bird maybe, or a frog. Goodness knows what she’s got cornered.”

Epiphany unlocked the window and lifted the bottom pane. She pressed her face against the screen and looked down. A slow wave of movement caught her eye. “Oh,” she said, stepping back, “it’s a snake!”

A snake,” Maddie cried with delight. “Where?”

Right below the window. Along the foundation. It’s hard to see because of the leaves.”

I see it!” Maddie looked up at her grandmother. “What kind is it?”

I don’t know, dear.” Epiphany turned away from the window. “Michael,” she called. “Michael, can you come here?”

The measured sound of Bach’s “Prelude from the First Cello Suite” halted abruptly and Epiphany’s son Michael appeared in the dining room arch. A brown-haired man with a round face and a neatly trimmed beard, he was already growing a bit stout in early middle age. “What is it, Mom?”

Sorry to interrupt your practice, but Endora appears to have cornered a rather large snake, and I don’t know if it’s poisonous or not.”

Michael crossed the room to stand beside his mother and daughter. “Where is it?”

Down there,” Maddie answered, pointing.

Michael braced his hands on the sill and looked. “I see it. Looks like a brown rat snake. They’re harmless.” He grinned at his mother. “Unless you’re a rat.”

Maddie wriggled under her father’s arm and peered out. “What’s it doing, Papa? Why is it turning upside down?”

It’s, uh. . . Wow! It’s shedding its skin. Look at that!”

Awesome!” Maddie cried.

Michael turned to Epiphany. “Take a look, Mom.”

I’d really rather not.”

Can we go outside, Papa, and get up close?”

Sure. But we don’t want to get too close. Snakes get a little edgy when they’re shedding. But we should grab Endora.”

Maddie looked up. “Why, Papa?”

Snakes are really vulnerable when they’re shedding. They need some peace and quiet.”

What’s all the fuss in here?” A small woman pushing a walker came through the dining room arch, wisps of white hair radiating around her face.

It’s a snake, Great-Gram,” Maddie said.

Where?” Susan said in alarm. “In here?”

No, outside. Under the window. Endora found it,” said Maddie.

Good for her,” Susan said. “Florida,” she muttered. “First alligators in the yard and now snakes. Sometimes I wish I was back in Ohio.”

It’s a harmless little rat snake, Gram,” said Michael. “Come on, Maddie. Let’s go watch it shed.”

Watch it what?” Susan asked as father and daughter hurried past her.

It’s shedding its skin,” said Epiphany. “Something snakes do now and then,”

That sounds perfectly dreadful,” Susan exclaimed.

Mom,” Epiphany objected, “we had snakes in Ohio. Remember the time I brought that garter snake into the parlor when Reverend Ashby was visiting?”

I remember telling you to get that evil serpent out of our house.”

Serpents aren’t evil. They do a lot of good.”

Such as?”

They eat vermin.”

Fine. I just want them to stay in the garden where they belong.” Susan steered her walker toward the hall. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you want me,” she said over her shoulder.

Epiphany stood for a moment, considering. Then she headed for the kitchen door.

Michael and Maddie were standing next to the house gazing down in rapt fascination. Maddie had Endora in her arms, but the cat was struggling to get free.

Here,” Epiphany said, reaching for the cat, “I’ll hold her.”

Take a look, Mom,” Michael said. “It’s rubbed the skin loose from its nose. That’s the first step.” Michael put his hand on his daughter’s should. “Let’s stay back and bit and give it some room.”

They all took a few steps back from the struggling snake, then watched as the process continued.

Look,” Maddie cried, pointing. “It’s crawling out of itself!”

Epiphany watched in amazement as the snake writhed and pushed, rubbing its nose against the twigs, then oozing away from its own skin like a lady peeling off a nylon stocking. The empty sack of paper-thin scales lay still as the snake inched forward bit by bit until it left its former self behind. Its new skin shone, bright and smooth, in the late morning sun. It rested for a few moments, then curved its way along the base of the foundation, pausing now and then to sample the air with its tongue. Then it flowed around the corner and disappeared into the grass.

Now that,” said Michael, “was a great performance.”

Worthy of a master,” Epiphany agreed.

Look, Papa. It’s a perfect empty snake.” Maddie was holding up the discarded skin.

Epiphany set Endora down and joined Michael for a closer look. “My goodness,” she exclaimed. “You can even see its eyes.” The delicate ribbon of skin was like a phantom serpent¾nearly weightless and paper thin but decorated with a herringbone pattern of tan and brown. The head was perfectly formed¾mouth open, clear bubbles where the eyes had been. It looked as though it might at any moment re-animate itself.

Can I keep it?” Maddie asked, the snakeskin dangling from her hands.

Fine with me,” said Michael.

Just don’t show it to Gram,” advised Epiphany.

#

It wasn’t until that evening that Epiphany thought again about the snake. She was sitting on the screened porch listening to the chirp and buzz of frogs and cicadas. In the distance, a limpkin gave a shriek and a pair of Barred Owls erupted into a riotous duet of hoots, cackles and gurgles. The early summer air was heavy with moisture blowing in off the nearby Atlantic. Lightning flickered toward the east, too far away for the thunder to be heard.

Epiphany drifted with the gentle breath of the wind, watching the Spanish moss swaying like silver veils from the branches of the oak trees.

But her peaceful reverie was suddenly interrupted with a mental image so clear and so immediate that she bolted upright and stared out at the dark canvas of the yard. The image blazed in her mind’s eye¾a naked man sprawled on the ground surrounded by two snakes. The man was so emaciated she could see his ribs quite clearly. His hair was carefully fashioned into small curls, almost as though he was wearing a wig, and his beard was also formally dressed. In his left hand, the man was grasping a leafy plant. But one of the snakes had also grabbed the plant in its mouth and appeared to be trying to take it from the man’s clenched fingers. She then realized with a little jolt that the second snake was the empty skin of the first.

She tried to determine what the image was made of¾clay, perhaps, or maybe carved, the lines enhanced with a dark pigment. It looked ancient, but undamaged. Like a piece from a museum. She dredged her memory for something similar. Egyptian, maybe. But no, not Egyptian.

Mesopotamian! That was it. She remembered seeing a similar image when she took a course on the art of the ancient Near East. This was an image of the legendary King Gilgamesh who left his home to search for the secret of immortality.

Instructed by a wise man, Gilgamesh locates a magical plant that renews youth. But during his journey home, he falls asleep. A serpent steals the plant, eats it and promptly sheds its skin. Thus, the serpent thwarts man’s hope for immortality, keeping for itself the ability to renew itself and re-emerge in all its youthful radiance.

When she finally went inside to go to bed, Epiphany couldn’t stop thinking about the possible connection between witnessing an actual snake shedding its skin and the evening’s vision of the Mesopotamian carving. Had watching the snake simply jogged her memory, or was there some deeper meaning? What message was Spirit sending?

You’d think that after thirty years in this business, I’d be able to figure out where a damned vision came from,” she said aloud. But it just wasn’t that easy, was it?

Psychic visions had been a part of Epiphany’s life since childhood¾images, voices, visitations, phantoms materializing out of thin air. Sometimes she just wanted it all to go away¾for the voices to fall silent, the images fade to black. To stop being a conduit between the living and the dead. She remembered saying to a reporter in a TV interview that sometimes her “gift” was more like a curse. But there was no escaping destiny.

Get over it,” she told herself. She would just have to wait for Spirit to send her the next clue.


About the Author


Award-winning author Mallory M. O’Connor is a writer, art historian, musician, and professor emerita at Santa Fe College (SFC) where she taught art history and served as director of the Santa Fe Art Gallery. Since retiring from her position at SFC, Mallory has written five novels, the American River Trilogy. Book One, American River: Tributaries, was published in 2017 and recently won First Prize in the Fiction Category from Northern California Publishers and Authors. The book also won the President’s Award for Fiction from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. Book One of her new paranormal/eco-thriller series, Epiphany’s Gift, was released in April 2019. Key to Eternity is Book Two in the new series.


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