Saturday, November 17, 2012

Take Some Time By Tara Fox Hall



A huge thank you to Rhonda Jackson Joseph for having me here today!
  
I’m here today to promote Broken Promise, the second book in the paranormal romance Promise Me series.

Instead of the normal few paragraphs on my characters, their various allures, and why you should read my book, I’m instead going to take this time to tell you to take a deep breath, and relax. Yes, really. Breathe in, hold it, and then let it out slowly. There…don’t you feel a bit better?

This time of year is blessed with holiday preparation, fun gatherings with friends, rediscovering old memories, and also enjoying oodles of good food and drink. Hopefully, we also include a few minutes of relaxation to fully enjoy this time of the year and the people or creatures we love. But I admit right here and now that it’s been a good while since I zonked out in sprawled abandon like the little cat who is currently snoring loudly on my lap. It’s been much, much longer since I settled down with a good book without a pen in hand to record pages of excerpts that I plan to quote in a review, or a highlighter to mark passages to use in my own writing projects. We all  hear about how we need to take some time for ourselves each day, but how many of us workaholics actually do it? There is too much to do, comment on, tweet, write, email, or blog. And that’s just on the internet! Pile on the regular day job, family responsibilities, and home upkeep, and you’re lucky to maintain sanity.

The downside of this is usually either a meltdown of epic proportions which could have some lasting consequences on whomever is with you at the time, or sickness which can range from a simple cold to a supervirus that puts you out of commission for a week or more. At best, even if you get everything done and remain healthy, all this busy-ness is sure to make you grumpy. When there is N amount of time and N+100 things to do, something has to give. Make sure it’s not your health or your sanity. Take a little time each day for yourself. Make time for things that are important to you, even if you’re the only one that thinks they are important.

Yesterday, I put some more glow in the dark stars up on my bedroom ceiling. They weren’t expensive…and yes, likely the kind of decoration Martha Stewart would frown on. It didn’t take long to put them up…maybe ten minutes for total prep, application, and putting the adhesive and stepstool away afterwards. But I felt pure joy while I was putting up those little stars, thinking about darkness falling, and going to bed and seeing them glowing up above me. Later that night, when I beheld them glowing above me, I felt that same simple joy again.

Take some time to relax this holiday season. Your family might not care so much that you didn’t make all seven of their favorite cookies, that you didn’t handmake all the Christmas gifts, or that you got the cards out late. They will care that someone they love is sane enough to spend time with them, and love them in return.


Blurb from Broken Promise:

Shocked at Danial’s betrayal, Sarelle returns to her old home to consider her options. Yet even as Sar plans a reconciliation with Danial, Terian arrives, confessing his desire. When Theo witnesses Terian and Sar kiss, he angrily confronts Sar, leading to startling consequences. Will Sar’s heart choose Danial, Terian,…or Theo?


Excerpt from Broken Promise:

Danial followed me. “Sar,” he said hesitantly.
I turned reluctantly to face him. “Danial, say whatever you have to say and get out,” I said wearily. “I’m exhausted.”
“I love you,” he said, his eyes tearing.
“I know you do,” I said evenly, meeting his gaze with my own, before turning from him to start washing the dishes.
I felt him behind me in an instant, and put down the dish I’d been holding before I dropped it. His hands rested on my shoulders, and then slid down my arms, enfolding me as he pulled me close. His hands were cool, as they had been the first time we embraced.
How many nights had I longed to be back in his arms? How many nights had I wished he would come to me like this, and tell me he loved me? Almost every night since we parted. But it didn’t change anything between us.
“I was wrong, Sar. I was wrong to do what I did.” He leaned his head on my shoulder, holding me. “I want you to know, I didn’t have sex with her. I left her, after talking to you. Please forgive me, for the things I said to you that night,” he whispered into my ear. “Please forgive me, my Oathed One.”




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For info on my recently published books Lash and Promise Me, click here: http://www.amazon.com/Lash-ebook/dp/B007UJ6KGC and here http://www.amazon.com/Promise-Me-ebook/dp/B0086G4GDC

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Behind THE DELPHI BLOODLINE: Exploring Your Own Psychic Abilities by Donna Del Oro...



Most of us have intuitive insights into situations and people. We get “gut reactions”, “vibes” or “feelings”. Often, we’re gratified, even surprised, when our gut reactions prove correct, and we spend a few minutes wondering why our guts are smarter than some people’s minds. Or why our guts can’t help us out more often. Like, which slot machine should I play?  Which stocks should I buy?  Is this man all he claims to be?
            Clairvoyance is a skill that my heroine, Athena Butler, has in abundance. “Clairvoyance” comes from the French, meaning “clear seeing”. It refers to the power to see an event or image that appears in the past, present or future. This type of sight usually does not occur with our physical eyes but with our “inner eye”. Or, as Athena refers to it, using her higher mind to tap into the Flow.
            The Flow, to her and others of the Delphi bloodline, is an unseen dimension of energy that encircles the planet and which contains the information and historical records of the human race from the dawn of man to the timeless future. It can be compared to a universal memory bank of the human mind and soul, or as the Hindus call it, the Akashic Records for all mankind. Like a repository of human energy and knowledge for all time, it exists on a level or dimension that cannot be measured by any of today’s instruments. Some physicists believe this dimension vibrates at a different rate than the energy given off by the material world. If string theory proves correct, these energy strings and their vibration might enable scientists and engineers to make it possible for all of us to access this dimension.
But for now and in more common language, we call it the “spiritual dimension”. As the modern-day descendants of a powerful bloodline, Athena and her mother have inherited the extraordinary abilities of this “inner eye” or “higher mind” that allows them to access this other, unseen dimension.
            When Athena’s mother makes the mistake of letting down her guard and revealing to a group of elite Washington, D.C. power players how her powers work, she and her daughter become the focus of a tycoon’s ruthless plot to control and exploit the bloodline’s powers. After her mother is kidnapped off a Baltimore street, and Athena becomes the next target, it’s all she—and her Guardian, Kas Skoros—can do to avoid the same fate. Although they clash at first, Athena realizes that Kas’s mother is, herself, one of the modern-day heirs to the bloodline, and Kas has assumed the duty of  Guardianship. Guardians of the Delphi bloodline have historical, genetic links to the warrior-bodyguards who once protected the ancient Greek priestesses of the Temples of Aesculapius. Together, Athena and Kas run, hide and eventually fight back to stay alive and free, and to preserve the bloodline.
            So how can the rest of us mortals, who are not heirs to the Delphi bloodline, develop our own clairvoyant abilities? There are numerous books on the subject and private institutes for psychic research can be found in the United States.  Many of these institutes conduct workshops for those who want to develop their intuitive talents. There are ESP/psi labs in highly reputable academic institutions, also, such as Stanford Research Institute (SRI), Princeton and the University of Virginia.  The Department of Defense has recruited and trained members of the Stargate Program to be remote viewers (clairvoyants who can “see” specific targets such as foreign missile silos and drug-running ships).  Make this topic YOUR special hobby and soon you’ll be “seeing” things more clearly.
            I did, and I do.

Blurb:


Present day descendants of the ancient, psychically powerful Delphi bloodline face the threat of extinction when an evil tycoon hunts them for his own nefarious intent, a global spy network.
When artist Athena Butler, the modern-day descendant of a powerful, ancient bloodline of psychic women, realizes she’s the target of mysterious and dangerous kidnappers, she gets help from strange sources—the spirit of an ancient ancestor and a handsome man who claims to be one of her bloodline’s Guardians. Her mental powers and his brawny skills keep them one step ahead of the mastermind behind these kidnappers. Until the time when an FBI task force decides to use Athena as bait.
 
Excerpt:

Chapter One
Pyramid Valley, Nevada
Thursday AM
Athena Butler’s eyes blinked open and she sat up. 

Coming back from The Flow was always jolting. Emerging from the stream of spirits was like a water skier lurching out of the water, pulled by a strong, invisible force. The mind caught up later to the body as if it required a rough snap to break free.

Likewise, to go there was like jumping out of a plane and feeling the air rush to your face, your limbs weightless and wobbly. Most of the time, it was a joy to enter this world of unseen spirits. Athena welcomed her visits, especially at night when she found herself invariably alone.

When she was a child, she’d often emerge from The Flow with a fearful whimper and a cry. She’d wept and wanted to stay in The Flow. Now, at twenty-six, Athena had grown accustomed to her mental flights. They were no longer fear-inducing for she understood their purpose. But her exits were still mind-wrenching and she often lay in bed afterwards, disoriented.

This morning, fear clutched her heart and she could barely breathe. With a trembling hand, she reached for her phone.

Breathless, she raked her other hand through her hair and kicked her legs over the side of the bed.  Six AM, Nevada time. She punched her mother’s mobile numbers. It was nine o’clock in D.C.

“Thank God, Mama! Where are you?”

“I’m in Baltimore, near the—.”

“Mama, I had a dream about you. A Flow Dream. The spirits—they want me to warn you! Whatever you’re doing right now, get off the streets.  Go home and lock the door. Call the police!”

Her heart felt like a ticking bomb in her chest.  Athena could barely speak. But her mother knew her and understood her Flow dreams. They were seldom wrong though sometimes a little off in timing. 

Today, a threat was imminent. She knew it.

“Slow down, Thena. Take a deep breath and tell me slowly about your dream. I don’t doubt you but we must be able to interpret it correctly. You know how these Flow Dreams are. Sometimes the symbolism is strange and difficult to interpret.”

“Okay—just go home and lock the door. Now, Mama!”

Athena had to swallow hard and take big gulps of air in order to speak. Losing her mother was unthinkable. She’d already lost her father, and in a way, her brother.

“Where are you, Mama?” 

She inhaled and counted to five. Her mother wasn’t in Georgetown, where she lived with her second husband. Athena sensed water nearby, a large body of water. Her mind jumped ahead. The body of water in her terrifying dream was vast, a bay leading to the ocean. The Baltimore harbor—of course!

“Near downtown Baltimore. I’m heading toward a section of the city where I believe a little girl’s body was hidden. The police need the evidence from that location.  They think she was hidden somewhere, killed and then a day or two later dumped into the bay. I think I’ve found the monster’s hideout.”

“Mama—”

“I had a session with the homicide detective last night. I handled a few articles of the poor child’s clothing, what she was wearing when they found her. I got some visions so I drove up here to pinpoint the location. It’s not in a very nice part of town but I thought I’d drive around, and then call Detective Bonner when I got something.”

Athena groaned. Her mother was at it again.  Getting involved with homicide cases and trying to use her powers to bring killers to justice.

“Mama, get out of there, please! Go home—”

“I’ve had no sense of this danger, Athena, not to me personally,” her mother said. “Listen, we must talk soon. There are other dangers that I’ve seen…but don’t fret, my car doors are locked, I’m driving my big SUV. I’m in traffic, so relax.”

“Maybe you’re too focused on that homicide case,” Athena stressed. Her mother had no idea the danger she was putting herself in. First-hand experience had taught Athena that working with the cops was a dangerous business. Let them do their work and solve their own cases.

I’m done with all that.

Her mind darted back to the vision in her dream. She took a deep breath and steadied her voice.

“I saw you in your car, Mama. You stopped to get out. A black car pulled in front of you and another one—a long white one—blocked you in back. There was a woman driving the car in front and she was with men who had guns.  Someone grabbed you and carried you to the white car. I could smell salt water and then they took you away. Some place far away. And then I was in the mountains, the Sierras, searching for you.”

Athena bent over, clutching the cell phone, her lifeline to the one person she loved most in the world. 

Her stomach cramped into a hard ball.

There was silence. “Mama, go home,” she repeated.


“Okay, Thena, I’m turning back toward the freeway. The harbor shops are on my left. Remember that eight-sided tower, the one with a great view of the harbor and breakwater. The octogon tower. You remember going there on your last visit here, don’t you?”
 
More silence followed then as an image sprang to Athena’s mind. Yes, they’d had lunch there…

Her mother gasped loudly.  A screech of brakes, metal crunching, glass breaking. Her mother cursing a blue streak in her native Italian.

“What happened, Mama? Are you all right?”

“Yes, dear. Just a stupid fender bender. Merda! Daniel’s going to throw a fit. My second one this year! I’m getting so distracted with these cases—not paying attention to what I’m doing. I swear this car pulled right in front of me, cut me off. It’s not my fault this time.”

 More angry muttering followed.

“Dio, I really smashed up that rear end! Thena, I’ll call you right back as soon as I exchange insurance information with the driver. Be right back, Thena.”

 “Mama, don’t get out of the—”

The line went dead.  With a cry, Athena sank to her knees on the cold, tile floor. Shivers of dread rippled through her. Her mind went numb with panic.

For God’s sake…Think! Get help!

Author Bio:


My pen name is Donna Del Oro and I live in Northern California near the Sierra Nevada foothills and Folsom Lake. After retiring from high school teaching, I decided life was too short to waste. Thus, began a journey doing what I'd been wanting to do for many years--write fiction. I sold my first novel, OPERATION FAMILIA, right away and this book went on to win an award for the Best 2010 Latino Books into Movies Award. Following that first sale, I published three more women's fiction books, then branched out into writing my first love, romantic thrillers. This year, 2012, saw the launch of A BODYGUARD OF LIES and THE DELPHI BLOODLINE, both ebooks and available on Kindle, Nook, Apple, and elsewhere. If you have read any of my books, I welcome your input. Leave me a review on Amazon and your name goes into a pile for a $50 gift card at B&N, my favorite bookstore. You can email me: donna@donnadeloro.com. Thanks for dropping by!"