Mom

I knew this day was coming, but I didn't expect it be this soon. My mother is gone. I know I'm not the first to lose their mother, but I just didn't think it would happen to me. They say you never know what you have till it's gone and boy were they right. I never knew how often I spoke with her till she wasn't there to answer my call or reply to my email.
She was a wonderful person and I will miss her dearly. I never thought that she would leave me so soon. She had years yet to live, she was taken too fast. There were things she wanted to do, people she wanted to see, and things at Walmart she wanted to buy. She was always busy like that. She always made sure her kids and husband came first. She was always there to lend an ear or a shoulder to those in need. Though her years were short, she lived a good life. She knew what was important.
I'll never get to see my mother again and that's what hurts most of all. There were things I still wanted to tell her. Things I still wanted to do with her. Take the time to call your mother every time you can. You never know when she won't be there. Life's a bitch that way.

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Getting there.

I'm nearly done with the first edits of book two. There are still some stuff that needs to be done, but it's getting there. It seems like the second book is tougher than tje first one. There are a few things I think I might change or add to, but I'm pretty happy with how it is coming along so far. I hope you guys enjoy it as much I have writing it. Thank you all.

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The Dorrian Mark. (Preview of book two.)

We got as close to the Dorrian main house as we could be without them detecting us. Nathan, Brian, and Alex headed around to the front of the house while the rest of us went towards the back. John and Seth walked in front of me and David was behind me. We stopped just short of the shield around the Dorrian main house. I reached out with my mind and looked past the shield. There were only four people outside training. Inside was a different story though. There were at least thirty people inside. Most were in one room. It was around noon, so I assumed they were probably eating. I didn’t bother to read their thoughts. The Strand I was looking for wasn’t there. I reached out as far as I could, but I didn’t sense the one I wanted.

I opened my mind to the ones with me. “I don’t sense him. He’s not here.” I said.

“He has to be here.” Seth said.

“Well, he’s not. There’s not that many people here at all.” I said.

“That’s good. Maybe we can sneak in without anyone noticing.” Brian said.

“I really don’t think Eric would let the scroll out of his sight.” I said.

“He might. I’ve never seen anyone break his shield.” Seth said.

“Tiffany did.” I said. “If you think it’s here, we’ll proceed.”

“It should be here.” Seth said.

“Alright then. Tiffany, are you ready?” I said.

“Yes.” Tiffany said.

I placed my hand on the shield and signaled for Tiffany to go. We pushed our energy into the shield. We didn’t break it though. That would alert the Dorrians inside the shield. We only made two openings big opening to get us inside. John and Seth Jumped inside the main house to the basement where Seth said they kept a lot of the weapons once we were inside the shield. Brian, Tiffany, Nathan, and Alex Jumped closer to the room where most of the people were at. David and I Jumped to the third floor where the bedrooms were. Seth told us which room belonged to Eric.

I looked down the hall once we landed to make sure nobody was coming and saw a familiar view. This is where they kept me? Right next to him?! I quickly pushed the memory out of my mind and walked to the door in front of us. There was a strong shield around the room. I didn’t sense anyone inside the room. I placed my hand on the door and pushed my energy into the shield. It took more time than I thought it would to break it, but it did break. David and I ran inside the room and shut the door behind us.

The room looked almost identical to the room I stayed in while I was being kept here. David looked inside the closet and I checked around the room. I looked under the bed, through the dresser, even went through the bathroom. The Scroll wasn’t here. Maybe Seth will have better luck. I saw David out of the corner of my eye smiling.

“Any luck?” I asked.

“No Scroll.” His smile grew. “But I did find this.”

He held up a gold chain. There was a gold circle with a black gem on the end of the chain. There was a red flame in the center of the gem.

“What is it?”

“It’s the Dorrian Mark. He can’t mark someone’s Strand without it.”

 I smiled and started walking towards him, but I felt Brian tugging on my Strand.

“What’s up?”

“They’re leaving the dining hall.” Brian said. “Get out of there.”

“We’re out of time.” I called to Seth. “Did you find it?”

“No, I don’t see it.”

“We have to leave.”

“We’ll meet you at the shield.”

David and I walked back out to the hall. I replaced the shield as best as I could. Araden showed me how to mimic someone’s mark, but I still hadn’t mastered it. After I was comfortable that Eric wouldn’t know someone was in here, I stood up and looked at David. As soon as I looked at David I felt it. Damn!  David looked down the hall and saw them. Josh and two other men behind him.

“We got to go!” I said to David.

“They’re too close. They can track us.”

Of course. “Any ideas?”

David took my hand and we Jumped outside. Right in front of the four men that were training earlier. I shot David a ‘way to go’ look. I raised my hand and placed a shield around the men, holding them in place. It was too late. They had already called. Faint pops circled us and there were at least fifteen men surrounding us already. Great!

David and I started shooting energy at them, but for everyone that fell, another replaced him. They were coming too fast. All of a sudden a bright white light came out of nowhere. Five men fell to reveal John standing behind them with his hand raised. David pushed me towards John and I practically fell in his arms. Seth was by my side instantly. He grabbed my arm and started pulling towards the shield. I heard David grunt in pain behind me. I turned to see David falling to his knees holding his chest.

“David!” I screamed.

I tried to run back to him, but John grabbed my other arm. “You have to get out of here, Eve.” He said.

“I’m not leaving him.” I said.

“Don’t worry.” Seth yelled. “I’ll get him.”

Before I could answer, John started pulling towards the shield again. Tiffany was waiting for us when we got to the shield. She made an opening in the shield and John pulled me through it. Before I had a chance to look back, John Jumped me back to the Aldarnian main house. It all happened so fast I barely knew what happen. I turned around a few times looking for David.

“Where are they?” I shouted.

“They’ll be along shortly. You need to get inside the shield.” John said.

“No.” I pushed past John. “I have to get to him.”

I was just about to Jump when I felt a hand on my arm. I turned around and nearly jumped out of my skin. Araden was holding me back. I felt a burning tingle go up my arm and run throughout my body. What’s he doing here? I jerked my arm away and tried to Jump back to the Dorrian main house, but as soon as I tried, a sharp pain shot through my temple. The pain knocked me to my knees. I could hear footsteps running towards me, but I couldn’t raise my head to see who it was. The pain was just too bad.

“What have you done?” It was Daniel’s voice, but it sounded far away. I knew he had to be close by though.

“What you should have done.” It was the first time I heard Araden show any kind of emotion. The fact that it was anger took me off guard. I scared me a little.

“You could kill her!” Daniel said.

“You really think I would kill my own granddaughter?” Araden said.

I felt Owen before I heard him. His voice was the only calm one around me. “That’s enough. We need to get her inside to the Healers.”

“She doesn’t need a Healer.” Araden said.

“Look at her!” Daniel yelled.

“She’ll be fine once she’s back home.” Araden said sternly.

I tried to stand, but my legs were too weak to hold me up. I felt a familiar h and on my head. It was Jason. My head started to spin. I couldn’t keep my open and my skin went cold. The last thing I remember was Araden picking me up off the ground.

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Think before you act.

It breaks my heart to see how some people act. I can't believe it sometimes.  The things people do to someone they've never met is just sad. Just because someone is jobless doesn't mean they are lazy. Just because someone is having hard a time paying bills doesn't mean they don't know how to manage money.
Things can happen in the blink of an eye that can change your life forever. Don't be so quick to judge when you have no idea what has happened in their life to put them in the place they're in. That could happen to you one day.
Something can happen that might put you out of work and leave you trying to figure out how to take care of your family. How would you feel if you lost your job and when you asked for a helping hand you were called lazy and no good?
Take the time to help those in need if you can. Everyone needs help at some point in their life. You might be the one to make a lasting impression on someone's life. You might give them the hope they need.

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Anonymous User Comments

I can understand some Anonymous comments. Like if you’re talking about an embarrassing topic. But I’ve noticed that most Anonymous comments aren’t about something that may embarrass the commenter. Most of the time these Anonymous commenters are trying to a bad ass. If you’re going to take time out of your busy day to post lengthy comment trying drag down a person’s happiness, the least you could do is take ownership of the comment and leave your name on it. If you post a nasty comment on person’s blog as Anonymous, you’re not a bad ass. You’re a fucking coward.

I know you can be anyone you want on the internet, but don’t follow the crowd and try to be a bad ass under Anonymous user. I’m sure you’ve noticed that I have very comments on my blogs, if any at all, so you know I’m talking about personal experience this time. The thing that really gets me fired up is someone that ‘knows’ what the blogger’s intentions are better than the blogger does. Saying shit like their blog won’t grow their reader’s numbers or saying that writers don’t buy books. Well, I call bullshit. I’m not a well-known author, but I do have a book on amazon and I have hundreds of books and have read most of them.

I personally like reading other author’s blog because I like to see what works for them. Everyone has their own way of writing and breaking out of the dreaded Writer’s Block. What doesn’t for one, might work for another. Something that helps one author write might just help me out. You know if you don’t go searching. You might find someone that has a completely different writing style from your own and still end up to be good friends or just enjoy their blogs.

I personally think that these Anonymous users are just butt hurt. Something didn’t work for them, and now they’re trying to spread their grief and misery to others. I haven’t really done much with the writer’s groups personally, but I’m strong enough to admit that I just can’t come up with something to write about every week. In fact, the main reason I ever write a blog is let off steam when I see something such as these Anonymous cowards trying to break or change a blogger’s writing style or just generally talking shit about a certain blogger group. Jealously is such an ugly color for anyone to wear. Maybe these Anonymous users just haven’t found the right blogger group for them. Maybe if they stop trying to bring others down, they could find something that makes them happy in the blogger world.

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My Chusky

Dr. Pepper Chapman

Attacking my sock.

This is Pepper. I love my Chusky. She’s the sweetest dog you’ll ever see. She’s half Chihuahua, half Husky. Which is why I call her a Chusky. She’s smart, but doesn’t like to show it. She loves to play tug with her ‘sock’ (a rope my husband got her for Christmas). She’s a hyper little dog. I mean, really hyper. Every time you take her outside, she spins around three to five times before she’ll let you grab her collar to take her out.

Keeping the evil cats away.

 She’s very protective. As soon as she steps outside, she’s on the hunt for those evil cats. They’re everywhere, you know. They like to hide under the porch, but my brave Chusky is smarter than that. She always finds them and runs them out of her yard. 

Guard Duty.

She’s always on guard to keep cats, bugs, and squirrels from attacking her family. Yes, my Pepper is the bravest little doggie you’ll ever see.

Mid-day Nap.

When she’s not protecting her family other wildlife, you can find her in my husband’s chair, resting up for her next cat hunt. She’s taken a real liking to my youngest son. That’s his Baby Dog. His words, not mine. When nap time comes along, you can find both of them cuddled up under his safety blanket. 

Safe with Daddy.

After the kids go to bed, you can find her cuddled up in Daddy’s lap, watching TV.

Movie time!

Her spot.

 My brave Chusky deserves the best. So, when it’s time for bed, she’s gets a pillow. Sure, she hogs the covers from time to time, but it's a small price to pay since she keeps the evil cats away.

Sound asleep.

 And sometimes, waking up a fury face can be a little scary, but who can resist that pitiful little puppy dog face?

One happy pouch.

Yes, my little Pepper is one swift pouch. She keeps the family safe and brings us a lot of joy. She's a great addition to the Chapman household and I couldn't imagine not having her in my life. In my book, she's the best little doggie in the whole world.

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It is finished!

Star Strands ~ Awakening is now finished.  I still have to through and edit it, but the story itself is complete.  I can’t tell you how much fun I had writing this book and I hope I’m able to write many more.  The feeling of completing my first book is overwhelming.  I’m excited and nervous at the same time, but I’m sure that I will continue to write even if I fall flat on my face with this book.  I would like to thank my family and friends for the support they’ve given me and of course a special thanks to my father who got me interested in books in the first place.  Without him, I would have never started writing.  Thank you, Dad!

Now that I've finished the book, it shouldn't be too long before I'm back on here.  Thank you and goodnight.

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