Wednesday's Words for May 27, 2015

I had fully intended to give y’all an update on our trip in real time, as it was happening. Unfortunately, my laptop didn’t think that was a very good idea. Last Tuesday, when we were in south Texas, the computer “updated”. After that, getting on the internet at the hotel—at any hotel—just wasn’t happening. When I got home, I discovered that the laptop could be used online here just fine. So I’m going to take the thing in and have it looked at. Yes, even though I simply don’t seem to have very good luck with laptop computers. I have to at least try.

In the meantime, we had a fabulous trip. What a joy it was to be back in the United States—back in Texas! I love the United States and I especially love Texas—as you likely quessed since I have a soon-to-be 25 book series set in that state.

I love Texans. I love their sense of getting ‘er done, no B.S. At least, many of the Texans I’ve come to know have that attitude. Step up, take responsibility, and move on. Love it.

Our initial two travel days, the first from home to the hotel in Buffalo, and then the second, the actual flying, went wonderfully well. On paper, we had nearly an hour and a half between flights. In reality, we got off the first plane and just a few minutes later boarded the second. But that was okay, since it meant we were all that much closer to Dallas.

We rented a car at the airport—I’d reserved one ahead—and had just one small miscue, but otherwise, we found our hotel without too much trouble. Fortunately we were on the road from airport to hotel just before afternoon rush hour.

In case you’re wondering, no, we didn’t rent a GPS with the car, nor did we take one with us. I’m going to file this under the heading of men not liking to ask for directions. Mr. Ashbury shook his head vehemently when the question arose at the rental agency, and I am ever the dutiful wife. That said, I can promise you going without modern technological navigational assistance is not a mistake I will make again. Next time I go to Texas, or anywhere I plan to rent a car, I am updating and taking my Garmin with me.

While in Dallas we stayed at the Belmont Hotel. We weren’t making an appearance at the RT Convention this year, but our hotel was only a 7 dollar cab ride away from where it was being held. I know that, because on Friday morning, I headed over to the Hyatt Regency to have breakfast with my good friend and fellow author and OWG alumnus, D. B. Reynolds. If you enjoy reading paranormal fiction, you absolutely must read her series, Vampires in America. The ninth book in the series came out at the end of March, and she’s hard at work on book number 10.

D. B. Reynolds is one of the most talented writers I know, bar none.

Friday and Saturday evening, we attended the “get together” for the street team of my good friend, Heather Rainier. Heather was gracious enough to allow me to tag along, as many of the people in her street team, are also in mine. For those wondering, a “street team” is the Internet equivalent of a fan club.

It was such a thrill for me to meet these wonderful women who read my books. It was truly an honor to get to hug them and chat with them and get to know them better. We all had a rollicking good time. Laughter absolutely abounded. I feel so very, very lucky. I not only get to do what I love, on a daily basis. Other people celebrate what I do. Thank you, Ladies and Divas for such a wonderful memory that will live in my heart forever.

On Sunday morning we headed out, destination what I call Rainier Land. We stayed in a hotel close to where Heather and her family live, and spent the next few days simply being together. We’re truly good friends, and a bonus for us both is that our husbands get along so very well. The men folk hadn’t seen each other for a couple of years. My beloved really respects Mr. Rainier. I was also very happy to see the younger Rainiers. What great kids!

Together, they’re a truly awesome and inspiring family.

Getting to spend several hours with my publisher was precious beyond words. This woman changed my life forever by saying “yes”. She has also never steered me wrong. I hold dear her words of advice. She’s not only a caring publisher, she’s business savvy. I’m honored to be one of her “Siren-exclusive” authors.

Mr. Tuffy was excited to see us when we came home, of course, and we were just as glad to see him, too. We’re unpacked, my beloved has returned to work, and the dog is “Tuffy on duty” on the front porch—when he’s not dozing on my writing desk. Memories of our time away are still vivid, and my heart is full to overflowing from the experience. Where I am right now is special, too.

As the song, and saying goes, be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.

Love
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Angelic Forecast ~ #351

'Go! Attack now!' I shout inside Dhuroth's mind, even as I feel his hesitation.

'Stay with me, my one,' he telepaths. The loving command jolts through my etheric being.

'Yes. Attack,' I plead, as I feel my lion man shift his focus to destroying the enemy's battlestar.

Using our mind meld, so to speak, I look through Dhuroth's eyes. With his usual precision, he locks on the target, a minor energy system, but one that runs through the deathstar like a fine network of nerves.

Dhuroth increases speed toward the laser-firing battleship, his squad flying with him. I watch as he minimally maneuvers, avoiding the fire.

"Target is still attained," he informs his squad. "Fire at will."

Boom! Blast! Whistles of pulsing plasma pelt the death star. As I watch through etheric eyes, the leviathan sphere dims, dims again. And finally, darkness swallows its insides.

I sing a quiet 'hallelujah' to myself, yet wonder about the two other death stars.

'Break off,' I mentally hear Dhuroth order his squad. 'Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate. We have no containment.'

As my lion man races beyond the circle of certain destruction, I ask, 'How close to the moon?'

'Shields are up again, and holding. Do not attempt to return, my one. The frequency fields could interfere with your astral form.'

TO BE CONTINUED...
~~~~~~

ANGELIC FORECAST ~

Unstoppable, the Spirit of Patrick Henry Rises Worldwide

"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" ~Patrick Henry, Virginia Convention in 1775

On the magickal, mystical front, this week the 'Mages of Ages Lost' slice and dice the wickedest, darkest schemes of the Viper elite magicians. This will be seen most easily on the world stage as the various, so-called leaders vie for top mad-dog position over the infamous ten regions of the new world order criminals.

Out of this battle of the mostly dark-side leaders, is their very demise. For, their murderous infighting not only exposes the cabal's endgame, but weakens their hold over the sheeple masses. This, because many more AWAKEN, and do their best to resist tyrannical enslavement.

On the personal front, this week is another roller coast ride for many of us, although not as intense as some recent rides have been. However, your financial situation is likely to be the cause, and should be monitored with care.

On the opportunity side of the equation, is that an inner dream from long ago 'could' surface, and thus, bring you to a new place, which is far more promising than whatever the standing of your life was a year ago.

Also, watch out for good ways to express your heart, your loving spirit, toward others. There could be a wonderful relationship on the horizon, and this is an ideal time to begin a new love relationship.

On the paranormal front, Debunking the Psy Ops Debunkers: Jaime Maussan Proves His Alien Case

BLURB: "The Most Astonishing Dreamland I have Ever Done"--Whitley Strieber
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Dreamland is being presented from Wednesday, May 20 this week instead of starting on Friday. The reason is that this show not only makes it clear that the Roswell slides, far from being fakes or images of the mummy of a child, do indeed depict a body with extremely unusual anatomical features that are not the result of deformity and are not human. Jaime Maussan now has medical professionals from Mexico, the US and Canada bearing witness to this. Incredibly, Linda Moulton Howe, in attempting to determine whether or not the body depicted in the slides was actually located, as some researchers have claimed, in the now closed White's City Museum in New Mexico, has discovered a clear photograph of what appears to be a completely different nonhuman body." ~unknowncountry.com~

On the *small 'g' gods* or the *Anunnaki Past Revealing Itself* front, BLURB: Anunnaki Secrets...scientist and researcher Michael Tellinger discussed the Anunnaki, an ancient ET race he believes created humanity through genetic tinkering to serve as slaves for their gold mining operations. As evidence for the Annunaki's presence, he cited the massive number of ancient stone circles found in South Africa, and Zimbabwe, which date back at least 300,000 years. The circles vary in size from 15 feet across to 450 ft. and Tellinger believes they originally functioned as energy generating devices, though in more recent times some of them have been converted into dwellings.
Just recently someone was drilling in a South African mine, when a wall collapsed and revealed an older mining tunnel that was made with such precision that it could not have been constructed with current technology, he reported. The Anunnaki used a silicon-based technology that incorporated sound and resonance as a source of energy, he continued. The timeline suggested by Zecharia Sitchin for the Anunnaki genetic experiments (around 300,000 years ago) falls in line with the first emergence of homo sapiens, he added. As humanity evolved and started reaching higher levels of consciousness, the Anunnaki became concerned and took away their language (this is what is called the 'Tower of Babel' event), Tellinger explained. ~coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/05/19~

On the UFO front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Green Jellyfish UFO Seen Over the Netherlands
A nature lover taking photographs of clouds during a storm in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands noticed a flash while taking a picture. He knew it wasn’t the flash of his camera so assumed it was lightning. When he developed the shot, the flash appeared as a green jellyfish UFO.
Harry Clipperton blogs nature photos and that’s what he was planning to do with the storm shots he took while walking on May 19th in the town of in Onlanden. Instead, he posted it as a UFO sighting and it was picked up by a local news site and distributed around the Internet. While some describe it as a flying saucer, the green tail make it look more like a jellyfish UFO." ~mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/05/green-jellyfish-ufo-seen-over-the-netherlands~

On the BREAKAWAY CIVILIZATION front, BLURB: "In the latter half, retired U.S. Air Force pilot Donald M. Ware spoke about the shadow world government, Inner Earth, ET agendas, Atlantis, and secret histories. He cited that the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) among other agencies is behind the shadow government, and that they control and manage much that the public is unaware of such as bases on the moon, and Mars, as well as undersea and underground facilities here on Earth, that are inhabited by a hidden advanced society. 50,000 Germans escaped at the end of the WWII and many of them went to South America and hidden facilities, Ware contended.
Admiral Byrd, who came with a military contingent on an expedition to Antarctica in 1947, was picked up by a tractor beam, and there were German markings on the flying saucers that shot down some of his planes, according to one of Ware's sources. Ware also shared some of the "secret history" related by John Leith, an OSS officer in WWII, such as the Nazis having access to higher forms of technology. Hitler escaped, and surprisingly spent the last 35 years of his life as Catholic priest in Ecuador, Ware declared, adding that "I have a very good friend who took communion from him twice." For Ware's take on ETs, check out this video clip. ~coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/05/18~
In this clip, 5/18/15 guest Donald Ware, a UFO and consciousness researcher, expounds on his idea that ETs are involved in a long-term plan to upgrade the "human computer." ~coasttocoastam.com/pages/donald-ware-video-clip~
freewebs.com/donware & timestreampictures.com

On the *Unexplained Trumpet Sounds* front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "What Is Causing The Strange Trumpet Sounds In The Sky All Over The World?
Michael Snyder | All over the globe, people are recording extremely loud sounds coming from the sky."

On the land changes front, Once again: Intensify, intensify, intensify... Shake, Rattle, and Roll... Droughts, Floods, Superstorms... and the Coming Fire In the Sky

For the coming week likely there will be more extensive, superstorm flooding in the country, and there 'could' be a major quake in the western half of the country. If so, damage will be mostly minimal. However, this quake will be partially created on the back of a natural quake, and there is a 'significant' target. Watch, wait, and look for the real truth behind the truth.

Headline-Snippet: "PHOTOS: Torrential Downpours, Tornadoes Blast Southern Plains
Torrential rain and strong thunderstorms pushed across the southern Plains on Saturday, spawning tornadoes and dangerous flash flooding from Kansas to Texas." ~accuweather.com~

HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Lake Mead Water Level Mysteriously Plunges After Nevada Quake ~ zerohedge.com
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake (originally reported 5.4) shook Las Vegas and surrounding areas Friday morning causing roads and bridges to be closed. The quake went little-reported outside of local news (since there was at first glance minimum damage caused) but, since the quake's occurrence, something considerably more worrisome has occurred.
In the 36 hours since the quake's occurrence, water levels at Lake Mead have plunged precipitously. While we know correlation is not causation, the 'coincidence' of an extreme loss in water levels occurring in the aftermath of one of the largest quakes in recent Vegas history does raise a suspicious eyebrow - especially when there has been no official word on the precipitous decline." 

News: Earthquakes Near Tokyo ~ Magnitude M5.3 ~ Hasuda, Japan ~earthquake.usgs.gov~

On the SINKHOLE front, NEWS: "Sinkholes open up at Branson, Mo., golf course... ~usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/05/22/sinkholes...
May 21, 2015 ~ Sinkholes open up at Branson, Mo., golf course. The largest of the holes was 60 feet by 80 feet, and 35 feet deep.

THIS FORECAST IS CONTINUED AT *TITLE MAGIC* ~titlemagic.blogspot.com~  
 
Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


Warning!!! The global elite [New World Order] does not want *you* to read this book. See ~ Powerful Dreams at my Kougar Kisses blog.

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS

~~~ Where angels fear to tread, 2012 Earth ~~~

World weary and worn out, the incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human, has three choices after her old van breaks down.

Let the Nazerazzi squad of the North American Union capture her and force her into a FEMA concentration camp.

Walk out into the Arizona night desert, let the wildlife have a good meal with the hope her death will be quick.

Or does she dare trust the mysterious stranger suddenly before her?

Handsome as sin and all in black, he emerges out of the darkness.

Sedona wonders if the stranger on a superspeed motorcycle is her savior from the brutal endtimes.

Or, is he a roving cult member of the New World Order, hunting his next blood sacrifice?

***

It’s only a few days before Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 ~ The end of the Mayan Calendar.

Sent from heaven to help Sedona save humanity, Zerr Dann knows the Divine is playing its last card on Earth.

He also knows Sedona is about to find out Christmas miracles still exist.

[Angelic Fantasy Erotic Romance]
~~~~~~

~~~ EBOOK & IN PRINT ~~~ a former #1 on Siren-BookStrand’s bestseller list

Author Discovery by BookStrand author, Lindsay Townsend.
~~~

~ HAVE A MAGICKAL WEEK ~

Kisses from Savanna Kougar...

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Siren-BookStrand Author of ~

All Shades of Blue Paradise
[World of the Blue Pearl Moon, Book 1]

When a Good Angel Falls ~ In Print
[Winter Solstice 2012, Book 1]

Murder by Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis ~ In Print
[New Atlantis Trilogy, Book 1]

Her Insatiable Dark Heroes ~ In Print
[Chrontropolis, Book 1]

Stallion of Ash and Flame ~ In Print

Branded by the Texans ~ IN PRINT ~ A Siren-BookStrand Bestseller!
[Three Star Republic]

Kandy Apple and Her Hellhounds ~  What happens when two of Hades’ most mission-accomplished Hellhounds find just the right witch for Halloween? ~ Ebook and In Print.

Posted by Savanna Kougar at 3:25 PM

Angelic Forecast ~ #350

Suddenly free of the plasma hook, I squeeze my astral form past the frequency-sizzling net. Blasting upward, I find myself suddenly floating free in space, far, far beyond the moon base and the raging battle.

What now?

Extending my awareness toward Dhuroth, I discover what I suspect. There is a team of apparitional warriors waiting for me to return.

'Sh’raka!' I hear my lion man boom inside my mind. 'My woman, where are you?'

'You are safe,' I begin.

'Safe, yes. We are about to attack the Death Star. A method that will not activate the Solar System Killer Cube. Where are you!?'

'I don't know.' I pause a split second. 'I'm lost in astral space.'

'Go! Attack now!' I shout inside Dhuroth's mind, even as I feel his hesitation.

'Stay with me, my one,' he telepaths. The loving command jolts through my etheric being.

'Yes. Attack,' I plead, as I feel my lion man shift his focus to destroying the enemy's battlestar.

Using our mind meld, so to speak, I look through Dhuroth's eyes. With his usual precision, he locks on the target, a minor energy system, but one that runs through the deathstar like a fine network of nerves.

Dhuroth increases speed toward the laser-firing battleship, his squad flying with him. I watch as he minimally maneuvers, avoiding the fire.

"Target is still attained," he informs his squad. "Fire at will."

TO BE CONTINUED...
~~~~~~

ANGELIC FORECAST ~

Breaking: The *Real* Past of Humankind Continues To Reveal Itself, a Technicolor Quickening of Vast Ramifications... Prepare Mentally... 

Breaking: At Quantum Speed, The Aquarian Age Transition, the Great Unraveling of Society, and Building the Renaissance-Paradise on Earth

On the magickal, mystical front, this week the 'Mages of Ages Lost' confront and command the great-river force of Time. For, timelines have been much manipulated throughout Earth's existence, and there is a need for a magnificently large healing at this spinpoint.

More and more, Benevolent Forces, along with the 'Mages of Ages Lost', are stopping 'those' who are criminally abusing timelines by altering them purely for selfish-conquest purposes. Simultaneously, crucial Earth timelines are being purified and combined to a new wholeness.

This process will cause strange decelerations and accelerations in how most of us experience time in our daily lives, and could be noticeable in how world events play out. 

On the personal front, this week, walk carefully and carry a big stick... meaning, be extra aware of your surroundings, and exactly who is present... this, while you mentally prepare yourself to handle any unexpected situation.

Also, keep the love flowing, especially in your closest relationships. This doesn't have to be difficult. Sincere hugs are wonderful, as is simply helping your loved one out when they most need it.

On the financial end of things, persistence is your best ally. That is, persist in your goals, and if a problem rears its ugly head you might need to keep 'persisting' toward the solution.

On the paranormal front, The Soul Phone, Paranormal Technology, and The Presidents Who Knew About UFOS

BLURB: Afterlife Communication/ Paranormal Devices/ UFOs & Presidents
Date: Saturday - May 16, 2015
Host: Dave Schrader
Guests: Bill Chappell, Larry Holcombe, Gary Schwartz
Dave Schrader ... was joined in the first hour by University of Arizona professor Gary Schwartz ~drgaryschwartz.com~ who discussed his research in afterlife communication—his laboratory is attempting to measure the energy of spirit under controlled circumstances through what he is calling a "soul phone." Books: The Sacred Promise, The Afterlife Experiments: Breakthrough Scientific Evidence of Life After Death
In the second hour, robotics engineer Bill Chappell talked about the paranormal technology he's developed that is changing the way hauntings are investigated.
In the latter half of the program, UFO researcher Larry Holcombe ~larryholcombe.com~ revealed the secret history of UFOs and the corresponding presidential administrations, from the 1940s to the present.
Book: The Presidents and UFOs
~coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/05/16~

YOUTUBE: "Breakdown - 1952 UFOs Over Washington DC Video -...
~youtube.com/watch?v=rh3FmacQxjo~
Sep 04, 2013  In July of 1952, an event happened in Washington DC that shook the City to it's core! What was it that was seen above the Capitol that caused such a stir? "

AND... "1952 Year of the UFO"

The famous article of LIFE Magazine, April 7, 1952
~greyfalcon.us/The famous article of LIFE ...
1952 Year of the UFO. ... The American magazine LIFE is well known and serious and does not publish anything without ... after the UFO flap over Washington ...

Further, on the UFO/USO front, Blurb: "UFO researcher Preston Dennett ~prestondennett.weebly.com~ spoke about how the Southern California coast is one of the world's leading producers of undersea USO (Unidentified Submersible Object) activity. The reports of objects that move in and out of the water, in ways that defy current human technology, stretch back to the late 1940's and continue to this day, and there's been many sightings, and hundreds of witnesses, he said. One of the first reports was of an underwater mass spotted in Northern California in the 1940s which was causing problems for ships to navigate around. The mass was tracked moving down to Southern California. An incident in 1954 involved a Japanese steamship, in which crew members saw a "fireball" hit the water, and then rise back out of the water, he cited
Dennett presented some of the startling evidence regarding USO activity in the Santa Catalina Channel off the Southern California coast. There was reportedly an incident of pilots flying a plane over Catalina Island, when they saw a USO on the water-- it struck the plane with a beam of light, and one of the pilots was abducted, while the other was killed when their plane crashed, he recounted. A case in the 1980s, investigated by Bill Hamilton, involved dozens of USOs, some above the water, others below, moving in tandem. Underwater locations offer places to hide, or even bases, for craft that don't want to be detected, Dennett commented.
There was an incident in Topanga Canyon on June 14, 1992, when hundreds of UFOs were seen on one night-- witnesses said many of the objects came up from the ocean area, Dennett said. Another case he detailed involved a couple sailing in Florida who saw green beams of light under their boat, about 100 ft. down. An object stayed underneath them for a couple minutes shooting out the beam, before quickly darting off. Dennett also discussed UFO incidents, particularly from the state of Nevada, involving test flights and military." ~coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/05/17~

On the land changes front, Intensify, intensify, intensify... Shake, Rattle, and Roll... Droughts, Floods, Superstorms... and the Coming Fire In the Sky

HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "40 Volcanoes Are Erupting Right Now, And 34 Of Them Are Along The Ring Of Fire
Michael Snyder | You may not have noticed, but our planet is becoming increasingly unstable."

HEADLINE: "The 'Ring Of Fire Is Shaking Violently' - Massive Uptick In Earthquakes And Volcano Eruptions - Earth 'Is Becoming Increasingly Unstable'" ~allnewspipeline.com/Ring_Of_Fire.php~

HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Nepal earthquake, magnitude 7.3, strikes near Everest
BBC News | A major earthquake has struck eastern Nepal, near Mount Everest, two weeks after more than 8,000 died in a devastating quake.

HEADLINE: "Another aftershock: Nepal struck by 5.7-magnitude earthquake SATURDAY MAY 16TH" 

YOUTUBE: 5/14/2015 — VOLCANIC EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY AT THE MEXICO / TEXAS BORDER — 4.0 MAGNITUDE ALONG US BORDER ~dutchsinse.com/5142015-volcanic-earthquake-activity-at-the-mexico-texas-border-4-0-magnitude-along-us-border~

HEADLINE: "Giant hailstones pound southern Germany – nearly a week after devastating tornado reported in the north"

THIS FORECAST IS CONTINUED AT *TITLE MAGIC* ~titlemagic.blogspot.com~  
 
Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


Warning!!! The global elite [New World Order] does not want *you* to read this book. See ~ Powerful Dreams at my Kougar Kisses blog.

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS

~~~ Where angels fear to tread, 2012 Earth ~~~

World weary and worn out, the incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human, has three choices after her old van breaks down.

Let the Nazerazzi squad of the North American Union capture her and force her into a FEMA concentration camp.

Walk out into the Arizona night desert, let the wildlife have a good meal with the hope her death will be quick.

Or does she dare trust the mysterious stranger suddenly before her?

Handsome as sin and all in black, he emerges out of the darkness.

Sedona wonders if the stranger on a superspeed motorcycle is her savior from the brutal endtimes.

Or, is he a roving cult member of the New World Order, hunting his next blood sacrifice?

***

It’s only a few days before Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 ~ The end of the Mayan Calendar.

Sent from heaven to help Sedona save humanity, Zerr Dann knows the Divine is playing its last card on Earth.

He also knows Sedona is about to find out Christmas miracles still exist.

[Angelic Fantasy Erotic Romance]
~~~~~~

~~~ EBOOK & IN PRINT ~~~ a former #1 on Siren-BookStrand’s bestseller list

Author Discovery by BookStrand author, Lindsay Townsend.
~~~

~ HAVE A MAGICKAL WEEK ~

Kisses from Savanna Kougar...

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Siren-BookStrand Author of ~

All Shades of Blue Paradise
[World of the Blue Pearl Moon, Book 1]

When a Good Angel Falls ~ In Print
[Winter Solstice 2012, Book 1]

Murder by Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis ~ In Print
[New Atlantis Trilogy, Book 1]

Her Insatiable Dark Heroes ~ In Print
[Chrontropolis, Book 1]

Stallion of Ash and Flame ~ In Print

Branded by the Texans ~ IN PRINT ~ A Siren-BookStrand Bestseller!
[Three Star Republic]

Kandy Apple and Her Hellhounds ~  What happens when two of Hades’ most mission-accomplished Hellhounds find just the right witch for Halloween? ~ Ebook and In Print.

CHELSEA'S CHASTISEMENT - Portraits Of Submission 3

I'm so pleased to announce a new release!! CHELSEA'S CHASTISEMENT is the third book in my Portraits of Submission series!!

You can read more about the Portraits of Submission series on my WEBSITE, but for now, here is a brief overview...

When an ancient curse from a neighboring kingdom threatens their way of life, the princes of Ashdown must turn to desperate measures to entice women into their world, in order to maintain their decadent sexual lifestyle.

A sorcerer accidentally discovers an old set of portraits depicting bondage scenes, and she also finds the key to their magic. The portraits are portals to their world, and the princes are the source of that magic…

CHELSEA'S CHASTISEMENT
PORTRAITS OF SUBMISSION 3

BLURB

[Siren Sensations: Erotic Fantasy Consensual BDSM Ménage a Quatre Romance, M/F/M/M, flogging, paddling, HEA]

Graduate student Chelsea Barrows is alone in the world, but determined to finish her degree and have a career. When she finds an erotic painting in the basement of a building on campus, it draws her into a mysterious alternate universe where kingdoms are at war, and three charismatic princes choose her as a sex slave.

Roland, Archer, and Denver are three princes of an elite ruling class descended from one of Ashdown’s true kings. They use the magick of the erotic paintings discovered centuries ago to lure women into their world for their unique sexual perversions. But as they take what is their birthright from Chelsea, the men lose their hearts to her in the process.

When Chelsea is kidnapped after a plot to kill the women from her world is uncovered, the princes must rescue the woman they love before they lose her forever.

BUY LINK for CHELSEA'S CHASTISEMENT

Wednesday's Words for May 13, 2015

Later today we will be on our way to Texas, via Buffalo.

Just about everyone we know who flies to the United States, flies from either Buffalo or Detroit, as opposed to flying out from Canada. We’ve always boarded our flights in Toronto in the past. Up until a few years ago, that pretty much guaranteed you’d be on a non-stop flight to wherever you were going.

But then, Canadian airlines began “partnering” with U. S. airlines, and so now for the most part Canadian flights into the States are tied into the hub system. There are still a few non-stop flights you can book out of Toronto, but not that many. But that’s not the reason we’re flying out of Buffalo.

It’s the $1,000 difference in the cost of air fare for this trip that decided us. I honestly couldn’t justify paying that much extra.

First, driving to Buffalo is only about a twenty minute travel difference, not counting the time at the border. Once in the Queen City, if we stay a night before our flight, and the night after our return flight at the same hotel, our car gets to be parked the entire time we’re gone, for free. Well, all right, not free, but the cost of the room includes the car parking, which for the same period in Toronto near to the airport would be 200 dollars all on its own (one of the reasons our daughter usually drives us to the airport and picks us up again).

The added bonus is that this plan reduces the stress of traveling, at least for me.

I am humbled that the reason we’re heading to Texas is for a joint gathering of mine, and Heather Rainier’s, Street Teams [the e-book equivalent of a fan club]. I’m so excited to get to meet these wonderful women. How cool is it that people will actually come together to meet me? The great fringe benefit, of course, is that I get to spend time with my good friend and fellow author, Heather Rainier and her family. I’m also going to get to see my publisher while I’m there as she is based in Texas!

Mr. Ashbury is coming with me, of course—though on my last visit to Texas he didn’t. That year—the year before last—he decided to take the girls on a trip instead. The main purpose of my visit then was to collaborate with Heather, which resulted in a book from each of us - another cross-over treat for our readers.

I’ve looked ahead to the weather and it looks like we’re going to see a fair bit of rain and possibly thunderstorms. I really don’t mind that so much, as there aren’t many places we’re planning to “see”. We visited a few tourist spots on our first trip to Dallas.

 My beloved is hoping for good weather the day before we fly home, as we’ll be spending that day in San Antonio. He wants me to see the River Walk. The year I attended my first RT Convention as a published author, it was held in Houston. Once I was settled in at the hotel, he headed out to the airport—he was flying by himself to San Antonio, to see the Alamo. History buff that he is, it was one of the places on his “bucket list”. He came back excited about the city and wanted me to see it.

I’m praying that this is a really good trip for me. Issues that I’ve been dealing with, health-wise, over the last couple of years, seem to have settled down some. I’m very grateful, because nothing is worse than traveling when you’re not sure how you’re going to be on any given day. That said, as tough as that was, I did the best I could, because really, everything is a decision. I believe with all my heart that you can either live your life reacting to your circumstances, or you can live your life on your own terms in spite of them.

I have already decided that I am going to have a wonderful time on this trip. I’ll be meeting face to face some of my most dedicated readers, I’ll be visiting with a family I love dearly, seeing my publisher again, and I’ll be spending time with my beloved.

Anything else—weather, or health issues—are just circumstances.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Cover Reveal for Natalie Acres

COMING TO SIREN-BOOKSTRAND

Watch for Screw Me Sideways, a Cowboy Sex CLINK story 

Angelic Forecast ~ #349

'Escape', I mind-whisper to my lion man, praying, hoping the tearer beams harmlessly pass him and his squad until they are out of range. Meanwhile, I dodge the first apparitional warrior, and figure this is as good a time as any to make my escape.

'Oh great.' Above me a frequency net forms. The subtle-energy tech is meant to imprison my astral body.

Below me, my ghostly foes are charging, their goal to surround me, prevent me from disappearing. Too late, I mentally flinch, feeling the prick of a plasma hook. No!

I whirl at cyclone speed, heedless of the pain -- like endless electric shocks piercing my soul.

Suddenly free of the plasma hook, I squeeze my astral form past the frequency-sizzling net. Blasting upward, I find myself suddenly floating free in space, far, far beyond the moon base and the raging battle.

What now?

Extending my awareness toward Dhuroth, I discover what I suspect. There is a team of apparitional warriors waiting for me to return.

'Sh’raka!' I hear my lion man boom inside my mind. 'My woman, where are you?'

'You are safe,' I begin.

'Safe, yes. We are about to attack the Death Star. A method that will not activate the Solar System Killer Cube. Where are you!?'

'I don't know.' I pause a split second. 'I'm lost in astral space.'

TO BE CONTINUED...
~~~~~~

ANGELIC FORECAST ~

The Mass-Conscious Crucible Is Upon the World... More Fall To Darkness... While More Soar To Renegade Enlightenment

On the truth front, Bright, Blazing, and Mind-Blowing, TRUTH Keeps Speed-Bubbling To the Surface of Humanity's Awareness... Now This Aquarian Age Transitory Process Intensifies and Quickens

To quote: "In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

On the magickal, mystical front, this week the 'Mages of Ages Lost' cross their whirling lightblades with the Viper elite's darkest-force warriors. This crash-explosion of light and dark will reverberate across the planet. Simply be aware of what is taking place around you.

And as stated in the prior forecast: "To participate, spread revelations of TRUTH, and expose the Orwellian deceptions -- according to your perception and experience. For, such communication is one key to overcoming these trouble-chaos times."

On the personal front, Another JumpPoint time for many of us as we move through our lives, through our days. This means, with the acceleration of time and events, it 'could' be like jumping over one event and being immersed in another before you even realize what is happening. Be as conscious as possible, and go with the fast flow.

As much as you are able, take moments to simply breathe, to engage with Nature. For, that is where and when you will rejuvenate in mind and spirit.

This week, there will likely be an outstanding opportunity to move ahead. Grab it with both hands, and proceed. However, as always use caution as a guide. Look before you leap. For, the trickster energy now is deception.

On the paranormal front, The Twist and Turnpoint of the Supernatural Realms... Or New Gateways of Reality Open For the Benefit of ALL

For now is the time. However, this is being manipulated by the dark-side's tech-magicians, who are not only ripping open natural portals, but forcing artificial cracks in the fabric of space-time.

Some of these tears in space-time are being closed, healed by the Benevolent Forces. Yet, it is the love harmony of humanity, as we care and take care of each other, that is the real magick, and the real healing force in this world.

HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Portals Are Opening Up Across The World - Doorways, Discoveries, And Deceptions ~allnewspipeline.com/Portals_Opening_Up_Around_The_World.php~

On the Tinkerbelle front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Is this really Tinkerbell caught on camera? Mother believes winged figure she captured in photo is a fairy (and so do her two young daughters) She has always believed in fairies but now a mother-of-two says she has found evidence the magical creatures exist.
Lisa Wildgoose was taking photographs in the ancient Bluebell Woods near Towcester, Northampton, when she captured the amazing image.
It appears to show a tiny winged figure hovering near a drooping bluebell, and when enlarged it looks like it has blonde hair and shiny shoes."
~dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3070077/Is-Tinkerbell-caught-camera-Fairy-fan-believes-s-captured-image-magical-sprite-amazing-picture.html~

On the BIGFOOT front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "SASQUATCH CHRONICLES BLOG:When I had my close up sighting of the bigfoot that was over 11 feet tall up near Mt. Rainier National Park, just west of Ashford, Washington: May 10SC EP:102 Very close encounter with a Sasquatch
My guest tonight is “MT” from Washington State. He was a school teacher for many years and always worked for the state wildlife services before he was fired for coming forward with his encounter. He says “I made the mistake of telling some of my co-workers about my encounter, I was fired afterwards without any reason and was blackballed from the industry” MT goes on to explain what he saw, “When I had my close up sighting of the bigfoot that was over 11 feet tall up near Mt. Rainier National Park, just west of Ashford, Washington, you could see the muscles bulging beneath the short fur covering as the creature reached up to move the branch from in front of its face as it walked into the woods… also, that the creature was truly of gigantic stature. If you saw the movie Prometheus with the gigantic humanoid aliens, my Bigfoot was about the same build. It was nothing but muscle and hair.
I tell people that it resembled a silver back gorilla crossed with an Olympic athlete (summer track events), crossed with a giant. It looked like a tall person crossing the road… and the arms were not down almost to the knees like a lot of people say… it had the perfect human proportions a tall athletic man… except for the huge hump of muscles across the shoulders behind the head, and that the ear seemed to be in the wrong location on the side of the head for a human and looked more like where it would be on a big silver back gorilla." ~sasquatchchronicles.com/sc-ep102-very-close-encounter-with-a-sasquatch-2~

On the *return from death* front, BLURB: Saturday - May 9, 2015 ~ ‘’There is currently more scientific evidence to the reality of near death experience (NDE) than there is for how to effectively treat certain forms of cancer,’’ states radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Long. He joined Connie Willis ... to present the strongest argument yet for the underlying truth of those who have died and returned to share their tales. ~coasttocoastam.com/show/2015/05/09~

On the *ancient past revealing itself* front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Ancient America: Our Lost Legacy ~ Friday May 8, 2015
Not only did Columbus not discover America, you cannot understand the modern world unless you understood who came here before and why, and why it was that Columbus came, and what secrets he sought.
Carl Lehrburger has spent the past 25 years traveling to sacred and archaeological sites throughout the Americas in search of the truth about our past. In the process, he has made some truly startling discoveries about, for example, the true purpose of the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio and many other sites.
Why did they come here? What made them leave? Is there a hidden danger here, something we should know? Take this provocative journey with Carl Lehrburger and Whitley Strieber.
Visit Carl at NewHistoryofAmerica.com
~unknowncountry.com/dreamland/latest~

On the land changes front, Asteroid Flybys... and Once Again: The Planet-Wide Rampage of Earthquakes and Volcanoes and Superstorms ... and Here Comes the Lashing Sun Again ...

HEADLINE: "Asteroid a mile wide due to skim past Earth this week..." ~trunews.com/asteroid-a-mile-wide-due-to-skim-past-earth-this-week-as-experts-warn-of-mass-extinction~

Also, the Super Weather News...

WATCH: Lightning Strike Sends Gas Well Up in Flames ~accuweather.com~

VIDEO: Huge Australia Dust Devil Roars Over Car ~accuweather.com~

VIRAL: Flood Waters Overtake Australia Mall ~accuweather.com~

WATCH: Tornado Touches Down Near Jamestown, Kansas  ~accuweather.com~

TRENDING: Dozens of Tornadoes Ransack the Plains; Residents Tube Down Flooded Streets in Kansas ~accuweather.com~

On the earthquake front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Hawaii’s Big Island shaken by twin earthquakes – volcanic lake hit record levels
May 2015 – HAWAII – A pair of temblors rocked the Big Island early Saturday morning (May 9). At 2:17 a.m. a 3.1 magnitude quake struck the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park area while a second quake of 4.5 magnitude shook a minute later at 2:18 a.m. west of Pahala. The quakes were felt across the island. –Hawaii 24/7"
~theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/hawaiis-big-island-shaken-by-twin-earthquakes-volcanic-lake-hit-record-levels~

HEADLINE: "Expert warns Japan has entered ‘era of great quakes and eruptions’ – volcanoes stirring across Japan" ~theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/expert-warns-japan-has-entered-era-of-great-quakes-and-eruptions-volcanoes-stirring-across-japan~

On the volcano front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Costa Rica: Turrialba Volcano Erupts Again, Spews Ash Over 8,000 Feet Into Air" ~inquisitr.com/2071316/costa-rica-turrialba-volcano-erupts-again-spews-ash-over-8000-feet-into-air~

HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "May 2015 – INDONESIA – At least 465 people were evacuated from their houses in Siau Tagulandang Biaro district in North Sulawesi province on Friday following eruption of Karangetang volcano, a senior official at Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said here. Impact of the active volcano’s eruption has flattened several houses in Kora village in the region, BNPB Spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, adding that in the afternoon the volcano was still erupting lava, rocks and hot materials as far as several kilometers from the crater of the volcano." ~theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/55-hundreds-evacuated-as-indonesias-karangetang-volcano-violently-erupts-in-n-sulawesi~

5/08/2015 — DORMANT SUPERVOLCANO IN CALIFORNIA SHOWS MOVEMENT BELOW — SIGN OF CALIFORNIA PRESSURE On top of all the other dormant volcanic activity happening globally, such as ancient volcanoes waking up in Japan after 800 years of silence, and unexpected eruptions in Chile — we now are seeing movement begin around MULTIPLE dormant volcanoes along the West coast of the United States.
This comes on top of the news of a fresh underwater eruption occurring off the West coast of Oregon.
Most recently, now we see earthquake movement directly at Mono Lake Supervolcano, which is located in Central Eastern California, along the Nevada border.
~dutchsinse.com/5082015-dormant-supervolcano-in-california-shows-movement-below-sign-of-california-pressure~

On the sinkhole front, HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "Sinkhole Swallows Car After Fire Hydrant Crash
May 07, 2015; 12:38 PM ET A car was swallowed by a major sinkhole Wednesday after it crashed into a fire hydrant in Liberty, Missouri. Parts of the intersection were closed while water crews worked to extract the vehicle."

YOUTUBE: Massive Sinkholes Opening, Dead Sea Disappearing At Alarming Rate
The Dead Sea - the lowest place on earth - is disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving behind thousands of sinkholes that are chipping away at the coastline...

HEADLINE-SNIPPET: "TENNESSEE 'Sinkhole has sunk further… we have water coming through dam' upstream of nuclear plants; 'Now agency’s top priority'; 'Continued flow. could destabilize dam' : Section caved in at base: Gov’t not disclosing inundation maps over security concern"

THIS FORECAST IS CONTINUED AT *TITLE MAGIC* ~titlemagic.blogspot.com~  
 

Angelic blessings from Volcano & Sedona
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


Warning!!! The global elite [New World Order] does not want *you* to read this book. See ~ Powerful Dreams at my Kougar Kisses blog.

WHEN A GOOD ANGEL FALLS

~~~ Where angels fear to tread, 2012 Earth ~~~

World weary and worn out, the incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human, has three choices after her old van breaks down.

Let the Nazerazzi squad of the North American Union capture her and force her into a FEMA concentration camp.

Walk out into the Arizona night desert, let the wildlife have a good meal with the hope her death will be quick.

Or does she dare trust the mysterious stranger suddenly before her?

Handsome as sin and all in black, he emerges out of the darkness.

Sedona wonders if the stranger on a superspeed motorcycle is her savior from the brutal endtimes.

Or, is he a roving cult member of the New World Order, hunting his next blood sacrifice?

***

It’s only a few days before Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 ~ The end of the Mayan Calendar.

Sent from heaven to help Sedona save humanity, Zerr Dann knows the Divine is playing its last card on Earth.

He also knows Sedona is about to find out Christmas miracles still exist.

[Angelic Fantasy Erotic Romance]
~~~~~~

~~~ EBOOK & IN PRINT ~~~ a former #1 on Siren-BookStrand’s bestseller list

Author Discovery by BookStrand author, Lindsay Townsend.
~~~

~ HAVE A MAGICKAL WEEK ~

Kisses from Savanna Kougar...

~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance ~

Siren-BookStrand Author of ~

All Shades of Blue Paradise
[World of the Blue Pearl Moon, Book 1]

When a Good Angel Falls ~ In Print
[Winter Solstice 2012, Book 1]

Murder by Hair Spray in Gardenia, New Atlantis ~ In Print
[New Atlantis Trilogy, Book 1]

Her Insatiable Dark Heroes ~ In Print
[Chrontropolis, Book 1]

Stallion of Ash and Flame ~ In Print

Branded by the Texans ~ IN PRINT ~ A Siren-BookStrand Bestseller!
[Three Star Republic]

Kandy Apple and Her Hellhounds ~  What happens when two of Hades’ most mission-accomplished Hellhounds find just the right witch for Halloween? ~ Ebook and In Print.

Hard Times (Prison Masters 1) Release Day!

A good Master cares for his pets.  Ace needs to ensure his love for Tyler and Paul will survive even in the hard times.  

My latest book, Hard Times (Prison Masters 1), has been released today by Siren-Bookstrand Publishing! The book is available for purchase at the following link: Hard Times (Prison Masters 1). 

Blurb:  

[Ménage and More ManLove: Erotic Alternative Consensual BDSM Ménage a Trois Romance, M/M/M, HEA]

Ace Freeman is the president of Prison Masters, a BDSM club for gay males.  He’s in love with cellmate Tyler Chase and guard Paul Ryder.  Ace is Dominant, desiring to take both men as pets.

As an experienced sub, Tyler wants to give submission to two Masters. He slips an explicit drawing into Ace’s notebook. Later, he blurts out his affections for Paul. Tyler hopes his actions will gain collars from both men. 

Underneath Paul’s shy and soft-spoken exterior lies a man who lives the BDSM lifestyle. Paul is a switch. The guard desires a Master who can fulfill his need for no limits, and a pet to dominate. However, Paul knows his desires for Ace and Tyler have the potential to cost his job.

A good Master cares for his pets. Ace believes that principle. Once a triad begins to form, Ace needs to find a way to ensure their love will survive even in the hard times.

Note: This book contains double anal penetration.

A Siren Erotic Romance

 ****

I enjoy hearing from all of my readers, and look forward to your e-mails.  Remember Love is Love…Period.

Andrew Jericho is a ManLove erotic romance author for Siren-BookStrand Publishing  and LGBTQ rights activist.  All of his work can be found at:  Andrew Jericho.  For questions or comments please e-mail him at: authorandrewjericho@gmail.com.

Wednesday's Words for May 6, 2015

This is the part of spring that I like the best—when it’s warm enough to have the doors of the house open, but there aren’t very many bugs flying around yet to get inside and annoy me.

I’m guilty of throwing open all my doors and windows during a mild January-thaw day, too, just to get fresh air into the house. I always have my bedroom window cracked open a bit, even on the coldest of nights. I sleep better for it, and yes, I could very well be a fresh air junkie. I hate that stuffy feeling that you always get in winter. My mother was one to do this, to throw the doors wide a couple of times during the winter months, and if we were chilly for a day, she’d just tell us to put on some extra clothes.

She asserted that scientifically speaking, fresh air with more oxygen heated faster than stale air and she was right about that.

Of course, in those days it did take a bit longer to replenish the heat, because we didn’t have a furnace with a nice fan to circulate the warmth. We had two oil space heaters in our eight room, one and a half story house. For those who don’t know, oil space heaters were stoves, made of metal and in our case, black. The one in the kitchen was about 3 foot tall, the other, in our living room, more than four. They had stove pipes that came out the back, and were vented by chimneys. When the stoves went out it was usually due to too much carbon in the inside, and required a repair man to come and clean them out to get them lit and working again.

You had to spread newspapers all around the working area thanks to the high volume of soot and grime involved. Once it was clean, he’d turn on the flow of oil and light it with a match and a small piece of paper, inserted into the fire pot.

The good thing about a space heater was that you could put something on top of it to dry, or heat, as long as you kept an eye on it so it didn’t scorch. The mainstay on our kitchen space heater was a pan of water, to combat the dryness in the air the heat wrought.

The one bad thing about oil space heaters? Twice a year you had to pull down all the glassware on the top two shelves of the kitchen cupboards (those fancy dishes that weren’t often used) and give them a good washing. They’d be covered with a grimy, oily film.

It never even occurred to me until I was married and moved away and no longer used them that the presence of that film meant we were breathing in crud. There are often more down sides to things than we care to think about. Another negative aspect to those space heaters was that sometimes in very high winds, there’d be a gust down the chimney. It gave us some very stinky air reminiscent of car exhaust and often put out the flame, too.

Mom would light it again—yes, with a match and a small bit of paper—and it never occurred to us how dangerous doing that could be.

But spring and warmer air meant you turned off the stoves, and didn’t turn them on again until mid-to late October.

My mother’s house had several flower beds, and by the end of May that air coming into the house was scented with lilacs, lilies of the valley, and narcissus. That particular combination is an aroma I’ve missed over the years.

But the new lilac trees that we planted last year have buds on them, and those lilies of the valley my son gave me last June are also poking little sprouts up. I look out over the flowerbeds every couple of days and measure the progress of the growth.

As I do, I spend a few minutes in joyful anticipation of inhaling that sweet fragrance once again, and soon.

Love,
Morgan
http://www.morganashbury.com
http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

Valens the Fletcher and His Captive (MF)
by Lindsay Townsend
Medieval Captives 2

Siren-BookStrand, Inc.

Heat Rating: SENSUAL
Word Count: 23,476

Historical

Now with money off!

http://www.bookstrand.com/valens-the-fletcher-and-his-captive

Katherine has been let down by men before. Can she trust the man who captures her?

England, Summer 1132

Valens is an arrow-maker and spy for Lord Sebastian (the hero of Sebastian the Alchemist & His Captive, Medieval Captives 1). His beloved sister Julia has died, leaving an infant who needs breast-feeding. Valens is still single, so needs to find a wet nurse for the baby.

He kidnaps young Katherine, and her baby, Jack, from a camp of women. Can Katherine save Edith, Valens’s little niece? Can she trust the handsome Valens, share her secrets, make a life with him? Can she recover Jack’s lost inheritance?

Ordered to court Katherine by his lord, Valens slowly begins to understand that he loves Kate, that he loves making a family with her, Jack, and Edith. Does his realization come too late? When, on their wedding day, a plot between Valens and Sebastian is revealed, can Katherine forgive Valens? Can she trust a spy?

A BookStrand Mainstream Romance

Chapter 1

England, Summer 1132

Valens heard the girl he had chosen as booty before he saw her. Crawling beneath the luxuriant low-hanging hazel branches and over the stinging nettles and ruthless brambles toward the women’s summer camp, he heard her weary, patient whisper. “Come on, Jack, feed for me, sweetheart. That’s right, that’s right. Good boy…”

There was a mewling whimper and the soft sound of suckling. Valens took a chance and raised his head.

Here she is, my little mother.

She crouched, half-facing away from him and behind the other women, on the less favored side of their hissing fire. Her face remained in shadow and he watched her hands, cradling, soothing, coaxing. A spit and flare from the flames illuminated her charge, Jack.

Her son, I think, or the son of her heart. Whichever the babe was, Valens took in his rounded limbs and downy head with pleasure. The infant was well cared for and the girl would care for Julia’s child—She will if she wants her own brat to thrive.

Valens lowered his wiry frame back into the crush and scratch of brambles and allowed the wet nurse’s soft crooning to wash over him.

“You are doing so well, my pretty darling, growing so big and strong. Let me check your padding…Good boy! I have more wool tufts and moss in my pack. Soon you will be clean and dry again, my Jack…”

The girl had been saying similar nonsense over the past four days that Valens had been tracking the women’s camp. So far he had only approached this close to her after twilight, content in the day to shadow the group at a distance. With her hair hanging limply ‘round her face in greasy, dirty-blond curtains, he still did not know if the wench was as pretty as a beech nut or as ugly as a gall apple, but her hands were clean and deft and her clothes patched and tidy. Baby Jack had more things than she, with three carrying slings and a half dozen little cloaks and hoods.

She may not wash her hair but she cares for Jack and will be a fine wet nurse for Edith. Valens frowned and tried not to think of his dead sister and her ailing child, in case a passing devil caught his feelings and made them worse, but it was no use. Julia had passed away seven nights ago and he and his widowed father were struggling with their grief and with Edith, Julia’s child. At almost two years old, Edith was beginning to eat more solid food, but it was the custom to breast-feed until two years, and weaning itself was dangerous. He and his father Thorkill, Edith’s granddad, had no idea what to do, beyond treating the grizzling infant like a sickly calf. Julia’s child was not thriving and would not do so until he could supply breast-milk by means of a wet nurse.

His present duty, to spy on the goose herder women, had proved provident. Accepting the task from his lord, Valens had known that such bold females would have youngsters and babies and one of the women would be in milk. Lucky for me. Julia would have said it was God’s will, but Valens was less sure, seeing that God had stolen Julia from him. He knew that tiny, squalling Edith would not make up for the loss of his sister, but the child was a part of Julia, one he vowed to preserve.

“You are not getting her,” he vowed under his breath, not caring who he meant at that moment, God or the devil.

He felt breath on his neck and twisted ‘round. The scowling face of his lord loomed briefly, then Sebastian crawled to one side, cursing at this cramped spying place.

“Only you, runt, dare have me scramble this way.”

Valens acknowledged the grumble with a flash of teeth. “But always worth it,” he countered, ignoring the taller man’s nickname. No one but Sebastian dared to comment on his lack of height, so he reckoned they were even.

“Are they thieves?” Sebastian jabbed a long, pale fist at the camp. His blue eyes darkened as Valens gave a brief nod. “Explain.”

Used to the man’s brusque orders, Valens counted off on his fingers. “One, they are meant to be goose herders but they have no geese.”

“This close to Michaelmas? They should be thigh deep in fattened-up birds, driving them to market.”

Valens grinned afresh. Sebastian was always quick, it was one reason he spied for the man. That, and he paid in gold, on time. “Two, they have clubs and ropes, lots of ropes.”

“For restraining prisoners and hostages. Go on.”

“Three, they are practiced in pretending to be fluttery, foolish maidens. A well-set-up traveler rides through the forest on one of the main trails and these women are there, arranged like a Mystery play, all tasteful sprawled limbs, big eyes, and pleading glances.‘Oh, kind sir, can you help us?’ and more of the same, till the fool steps down from his horse and they have him.

“Four—”

“I can count.”

The warning made Valens skip to his greatest news. “Big Agnes is their leader.”

In the dark blue twilight Valens almost missed Sebastian’s thin mouth tightening, but he heard the satisfied, “A name worth gold. Our sheriff has wanted her for some time.”

“Where is Julian?” Valens whispered, checking on the girl again as she rubbed her baby’s tiny back.

“Swirling somewhere in that red cloak and being heroic, no doubt.”

A prickle of alarm sped down Valens’s spine. “Not here, I hope. That cloak and that yellow hair of his, they will show up.” He dismissed the rest of Sebastian’s sour comment. His lord was touchy about his looks—though far less since his marriage—but Julian was something else. Even Valens, who also liked women, could see that.

There was a low snort from the hazel thicket, as Sebastian stifled laughter. “Peace, man, the sheriff is not an idiot. He does not go to your lengths, but he knows how to blend in woodland and so do his men.”

Valens forbore to comment that he dyed his red hair black so as to blend in, as Sebastian put it. His bushy and above all bright mane was distinctive, and for a spy that was bad.

“We attack them tonight?” Sebastian asked.

“Early morning is better. We shall see more and the women are slow to shift. Several have children.”

“By Lucifer, another problem,” muttered the man beside him. “My men will not like that. I do not like it.”

“I think you will have little trouble,” Valens said quickly. “Such women with youngsters are low status, like camp followers. They earn their keep by washing and cooking and are kept away from the main leaders. A few strikes on a shield will have them scattering and their brats with them.”

“Runaways and strays, eh? They will not be harmed. And where is Big Agnes?”

“Sprawled, with her flagons, right by the main fire with her cronies, dividing up the day’s takings. They are usually half-drunk in the morning, still.”

“Better, by Lucifer.” Sebastian clapped him on the shoulder, the closest his lord would come to outright approval. “And what do you want for your work?”

Valens showed his teeth at his lord’s scowling face and pretended to consider. “Four days and nights squatting in holly bushes, covering my tracks, going without food or more than a sip of ale. What would you say to granting me a holiday, my lord?”

Sebastian wormed backward and Valens followed. Skirting a flowering and spiky wild rose that showed blue in the late evening light, the men crawled behind the cover of a beech tree and stood upright.

“Ask again, master fletcher,” Sebastian said then. “I need those arrows of yours.”

Valens shook his arms and legs to get the blood flowing again. “Well, then.” He braced himself, aware his next request would most definitely not be approved. “I want a girl from the camp.”

 Sebastian dragged him off his feet and hoisted him aloft as if he weighed no more than a leaf. Half-choked by his tunic, Valens sucked in air and kept talking.

“Not as my slave but to help! The wench will have a better life with me than cast adrift.”

His lord’s eyes glittered. “You will marry her?”

By Adam, he is wed and now thinks every other man should be.

“If she is a widow, then yes.” Resentment sharpened Valens’s answer. “I need a wet nurse for my sister’s child, not a bed-mate. Put me down.”

“Or what?” Sebastian chuckled and lowered him. “I should call you Cuchulainn after the Irish warrior. He was a runt, too.”

“Everyone is short to you,” Valens muttered, slipping his knife back into its sheath as he was released. Not that he did not trust Sebastian, but spying kept his reactions honed. The dagger had been in his fist and pricked against the taller man’s belly before he had even thought of it. He had no idea who Cuchulainn was and did not care. “Are we agreed?”

Stepping back, Sebastian glared down his long hooked nose and gave him a searching look that made him feel like a new apprentice with his master. “You will keep her and her infant safe?”

“I will,” vowed Valens, thinking of Julia and Edith.

“Snatch them tonight, then, and take them away with you.”

Valens gave a brief but wide smile. His lord had given him something else with this, the chance to spare the girl and her babe the panic of an attack. “I intend to. Let me have two men.”

Sebastian folded his arms across his chest. “You want to terrify mother and child?”

“Two good men,” Valens persisted, ignoring his lord’s mocking glower, the dark humor in those dark eyes. “Two good men to show her the futility of struggle. I’ve taken down knights in full armor before now, so a girl and a baby will be easy.”

“Very well.” Before he moved back in the direction of the camp, Sebastian touched his arm. “Be careful,” he warned. “Too much…trouble and the girl might lose her milk.”

“I have my ways,” said Valens, with a confidence he did not altogether feel. Sebastian was still glowering down his nose, though, so all must be right with the world.

“Keep safe, runt.” His lord seemed on the verge of saying more, but instead clapped him on the shoulder for a second time.

“And you, my lord.”

The two men parted ways.

* * * *

Katherine could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. Worse, that she and Jack were being watched. The other women of this camp constantly slighted her in flea-bite ways, remarking or gesturing about her small size, feeble strength, and lack of wood-craft. Big Agnes, their leader, had agreed to let Katherine travel with the gang and had then ignored her. The others—who surely were no goose herders, for where were their geese?—had copied Agnes, or Aggie, as she liked to be called. For the week Katherine had traveled with them, aside from being piled with filthy clothes to wash, she and Jack had been left alone.

It is exactly what I want, she told herself, but lately, with this constant tingle at the back of her neck and the sinking feeling in her stomach, with this sense of being watched, spied on, she was less sure.

Jack smiled at her, gummy and warm, and she was enchanted afresh. That she and Eric had produced such a wonderful, sweet, clever child she thanked Christ for every hour. Propping the bundles of clothes she had to wash in a protective circle around him, she set Jack down to roll and crawl and toddle, clapping her hands in warning each time he crept and waddled to the edge of the circle.

Her bare hands, Katherine thought with a sigh. She had sold her wedding ring nine days ago but the lack still smarted. If only Eric had not died. If only I had been more patient with him and not nagged him in our bed. That was a dark shame and secret of hers and one she still flinched from. If only my husband had kept his word and not kept all those secrets—

“Hey, Wash-tub!”

Katherine refused to flinch at the hated nick-name, or at the muddy, cold scrap of cloth that slapped down the side of her face. She caught it before it fell anywhere close to Jack and heard the braying order, “Big Aggie wants that washed tonight.”

She nodded and scooped a faintly grizzling Jack into a carrying sling. Where she would find wash-water at this hour was one problem, although at a pinch she could use her own urine and rinse the scarf in—what? Rainwater collected in a tree stump?

But she did not complain. Better to be bullied here than bullied and raped at the old house by my stepson. He was starting to pick on Jack, too. Eric had sworn he had made provision for us, but he did not. Secrets, always secrets. Remembering her own secret with a shudder, she picked up her pack and the washing bundles and moved farther back from the fires, preparing to do as Big Agnes demanded.

* * * *

Spiteful fools, Valens thought, wishing he had his lord’s skill with poisons and could slip some to these chattering mares. To expect a nursing mother to leave the safety of the camp simply to wash a scarf spoke of a careless arrogance that made his blood boil. The girl and her babe would do far better with him. They do not deserve her.

He was so furious it was several moments before he could admit that their petty malice, to one of their supposed own, had made capturing his prize easier. The young woman was clearly seeking fresh water and had just found some in a moss-covered birch stump. She had placed Jack into a cocoon of bedding and was pounding the scarf on a smooth rock, stopping after each weary flick to glance to the distant camp and peer into the closer trees. Sure that his dark clothing, dyed black mop and dirt-smeared face would make him invisible, Valens slipped his sheathed knife from his belt into his boot—he did not want the girl trying to grab his blade and stab him—and waited. He moved as she did and squirmed closer to the baby.

Jack was gnawing his fist but content and eager to be diverted by the sparkling toy of a gold chain and crucifix, dragged by Valens across the rim of his circle of blankets. Gurgling, the baby obligingly tottered, then crawled on plump little legs after the pretty thing. Valens allowed Jack to grab the chain and picked up the baby, settling the child on his hip. Jack snuffled and stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder. He trusts me.

“Jack! Where are you?”

On her knees now, the woman was patting and throwing aside the empty circle of clothes, gasping in her panic. Valens loomed closer, sweating a little himself, though his voice was cool and low.

“Here with me. Shush.” He closed his other hand around his little mother’s thin wrist and yanked her to her feet, deftly releasing her and removing her eating dagger from her belt as she stumbled. She fell against him and he caught her again, winding an arm about her middle and snagging her against his body as closely as he cradled her son. Her mouth and eyes were as wide as Jack’s, but she did not scream. Her attention was altogether on another matter.

“No, Jack, not in your mouth.” She grabbed the gold chain and made a brave attempt to smile at her son. “Never something you could choke on.”

Valens released her wrist to sweep his dark cloak around all three of them. “I shall know that next time.”

“Give me my boy.” The wench reached for him but Jack nuzzled against Valens, who was in no hurry to release either of them. He leaned closer, keeping a firm hand on the baby.

“No.” Valens gambled on her not wishing to scare or hurt Jack by trying to wrest him free.

Her eyes glanced away from him and her baby to the camp. At a snap of his fingers, Sebastian’s two good men rose out of the undergrowth, taking a step closer. The woman moaned as she saw the chance of any possible escape diminishing to nothing.

“No help here or over there,” Valens spoke as if no other fate was possible. “You and Jack are coming with me.”

“Why should we?”

He liked the flash of temper. Anger meant she would not faint. This close, he saw her face for the first time, rather than her bent head or profile. He stared for an instant—he could not help it.

My little mother is a pretty waif. Not beautiful, he corrected at once, not with that grubby hair or sharp little nose, but her face was free of pox scars and had an open, impudent look. She had a narrow head and a thin mouth that curved up at the corners and green eyes that shone with fury, lightening them to the color of fresh beech leaves. He had done well for himself by her capture. To marry this will be no torment.

He inhaled sharply and smelled her sweet, milky scent, felt her turgid breasts press against his lower ribs. She was smaller, much slighter than him, but tucked nicely under his chin for all that. The realization slid through his mind as fast as an arrow bolt, then he was answering.

“I need your help.”

He had not meant to say that. He wanted to get her walking, get them farther into the trees, away from the others. “Come with me now. No trouble.”

He prodded her side with a finger and she jerked sideways, flinching as if she feared a dagger thrust. “I promise I will not hurt you or your boy,” he added.

“Such vows are easy to make,” she answered at once, reaching out again. “Give me my son.”

He prodded her shoulder. “Walk first.” He did not tell her there were horses nearby, one step at a time was enough.

Still the woman did not move. She stared at how he held Jack, balanced against his hip, and more suspicion flared in her face. “Why—”

I cannot waste more time on this. Edith is ailing. Valens scooped baby Jack into her arms and picked both of them up. Ignoring her instant struggles, he began a shuffling retreat, flanked by the two men. When the girl opened her mouth to yell, he silenced her by pressing his lips onto hers.
Refusing to acknowledge either the guards' knowing smirks or the blistering agony when the annoying, squirming, necessary wench bit him, he staggered deeper into the forest.

How had he ever thought this would be easy? Once I have them back at home, it will be.
He could only hope.

Valens the Fletcher and His Captive is book 2 of my Medieval Captives Series. Book 1, Sebastian the Alchemist and his Captive, is already out.

He takes her for hate. Will he keep her for love?

Sebastian, lord of the tower in the northern high lands, is a proud, bitter man with a dark past. An alchemist and a warrior, he has had lovers but knows he is ugly—experience and betrayal have taught him that.  When Melissa, the beautiful, neglected daughter of two old enemies, falls into his possessive hands he is determined to hold her. Why?

As one of the detested and defeated Felix family,  Melissa must cling to her courage when she is claimed as a war-prize by the tall, grim Sebastian. Expecting torture and ravishment, she finds instead a peace and sanctuary that she has never known. Treated with kindness for the first time in her life, Melissa begins to blossom.

But there are secrets and old betrayals between them. Sebastian’s abiding jealousy is not easily quelled, especially when someone at the tower seeks to destroy his growing love with Melissa…

Medieval Captives 1

Read Chapter One 

OUT NOW FROM BOOKSTRAND, AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE AND OTHER SELLERS

BOOKSTRAND

AMAZON COM 

AMAZON UK

BARNES & NOBLE 

KOBO

APPLE