#IWSG for April 2016

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is the brilliant idea of Alex J. Cavanaugh. The purpose of the group is to share doubts and insecurities and to encourage one another. Please visit the other participants and share your support. A kind word goes a long way.

I'm happy to be co-hosting this month along with these awesome writers: Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, and Patricia Lynne!

Many of you are participating in the A to Z Challenge this month. My time is very limited this month, so I had to sadly opt out of doing it. But I'm here cheering you on!

The first time I participated in the Challenge I had no clue what to do. I was scared no one would like anything I did. So feeling that way, I wrote about a little girl who started off frightened and grew into a warrior. The story spanned over the entire month. Some of you might remember the tale of a brave woman who fought the monsters under children's beds with a snarky stuffed hippo as her guide.

Fearless received so much love. I went on to self-publish it and put it up for free. There has been over 70,000 downloads of the story since 2012, and that's a modest estimate as I don't know the number of downloads it has had on Kobo. I still am shocked when I think of that many people having read the book.

Many readers write me to say they read Fearless and it was so good, they bought my other books. It has been one of the best ways to market my work.

All of this because of the A to Z Challenge.

The Challenge might be scary, but you can do it. Slay your monsters and write.

P.S. Come stop over at the Untethered Realms blog. I miss doing the Challenge so much, I posted yesterday with my A to Z of funny paranormal things!

Wicked Wednesday - stuff that stocking!

What does Santa stuff your stocking with?

My mom still buys stockings and stuffs them for my brother and I. My husband is very appreciative of this because that means he doesn't have to do it! Mostly she fills it with toiletries, treats, socks, and notebooks.

If I could choose what Santa put into my stocking, it would be books. (And chocolate!) While I do love paper books, I could get more if I had an electronic stocking to stuff with ebooks. I've read over 100 books this year and the great majority of them were on my Kindle.

Here's your chance to stuff your digital stocking! Mary Pax is hosting the Stuff Your Stocking Event. There are 17 free ebooks from MG to YA to comics and fantasy and sci-fi and paranormal romance. Even a cookbook! Plus there's a giveaway for a $40 gift card. Click on the link and give yourself some gifts.

Included in the event is your chance to get either The 13th Floor Complete Collection or Of Blood and Sorrow. All you have to do is join my newsletter. See that handy dandy little widget on the right of my blog? Just type your email address in and jingle-jingle! You can pick either ebook in whatever format you need.

Tawa also wants me to remind you that Fearless is always free. So many readers have expressed their love for her (and the story!) over the years, I might be posting a new Fearless story on Wattpad next year. Either a prequel to this one or a tale about another Fearless warrior.

Friday Five for September 12, 2014

1. My bone is healing nicely, but I've been sleeping a lot. Mending bones takes a toll on a body. I never knew how much. I also find it difficult to focus on things. No writing has gotten done, even one-handed. I hope that changes very soon. (And nope, it's not the pain killers. I only take one at night before I go to bed.)

2.I finally have my contracts completed! Yay! Pop in next Wednesday for my BIG news. If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, the widget is to the right on the sidebar. Subscribers will get a sneak preview!

3. No word on any of my submissions. It's been over three months since I submitted my urban fantasy novel. Time to nudge the publisher?

4. No plans for the weekend except resting some more. The weekend after is going to be very busy, so I hope I have the energy for it!

5. Don't forget the Shelfie Blog Hop!

 When: From Now until October 6th, 2014

What: Take a picture of your favorite book(s), your bookshelves, or you with your favorite book(s). We understand if you're shy and don't want to be in the picture, but you get bonus points if you are. Then share it on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter. It's as quick and easy as that!

I'm excited to co-host this blog hop with seven amazing authors: Tara Tyler, Heather Gardner, CD Coffelt, M.J. Fifield, Elizabeth Seckman, Rena Rocford, and Vikki Biram. We'll be offering prizes for various categories. The grand prize winner will win $40! I'll be giving away a digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection for the geekiest Shelfie.

For inspiration, here's Tawa posing with all the books I've a story in.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Five for July 11, 2014

1. For the month of July, The 13th Floor Complete Collection is on sale at Smashwords for 50% off with coupon code SSW50. With the same code, you can also get most of the novellas for FREE! So far I haven't had many sales there this month. Last year's Smashwords sale was more successful for me.

2. Sorry I still can't reveal what my big news is yet. It's a bit frustrating waiting, but this is what you deal with when you sign on with a publisher. It has to be before the end of the year because I know when my release date is!

3. I've not done any writing lately, but I've written blog posts and done a lot of little things. Obsessing about my author tagline took a lot of my time. And I'm still thinking about different ones!

4. My son finished his summer reading class this week. He's absolutely brilliant. So smart and yet has the focus of a four-year-old. (He is four, after all!) We'll spend the rest of the summer hanging out at the parks and pools. No other big plans.

5. I was lucky enough to win the awesome Tara Tyler's newest book, Broken Branch Falls from her Goodreads giveaway. It's absolutely amazing! I'll have a review on my blog in a few weeks, but this is one I recommend to everyone.

Another grand stop on The 13th Floor Collection blog tour

One of the 13th Floor series' biggest fans is the amazing Heather M. Gardner. Her enthusiasm has been phenomenal! I'm so very honored and thankful to have a fan like her.

I've given her one of the first looks at the new short story in the collection, "The Shadow."

Hop on over to her blog and read her review of it.

Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway and possibly win a signed copy of the collection.

On a non-13th Floor related note,
I have a new cover for FEARLESS!

 I love it! I love it! I love it!

One of the complaints I got about FEARLESS was that the cover with Tawa the stuffed hippo made it look like it was for younger readers. It also did not get across it was paranormal romance. This one does a much better job.

Tawa isn't so pleased she was taken off the cover, but if the new cover attracts more readers to her story, I mean, Abby's story, then she can live with it.

FEARLESS is free to download!
Amazon Kindle
Smashwords
Kobo

Prepare yourself for a birthday bash & giveaway

Birthdays always make me nervous. Another year over. More wrinkles and gray hair. This year is a big birthday for me too. I'm trying not to think about it, but it's near impossible. I'm not a party person. I don't like being the center of attention. But I like cake. I really, really like cake.

To help take my mind off off being one year closer to being as gray as Tawa, I'm going to have a giveaway. Nothing makes me feel better than giving people stuff!

On Friday October 5th, I'll be giving away a print copy of FEARLESS with an inscription to the winner.

No, no. That won't do.

I'll be giving away TWO signed copies of my paranormal romance novella. Oh yes! And I will happily send them anywhere in the world. All my friends overseas, you can enter this giveaway too!

Yes! That makes me happy. Cake and giveaways!

Ah, poor Tawa. It sucks to be a stuffed animal when there's cake around.

Next stop on the Fearless tour and last day for the blogfest

Today I'm over at M. Pepper Langlinais' blog.

Find out how many stuffed animals I had as a kid!

Today is the last day to post for the

"What was your childhood monster?" blogfest.

It's been so much fun so far!

For the Tawa Fans

Don't forget FEARLESS will be released

on August 7th!

Sign up for the

"What was your childhood monster?"

blogfest!

What Was Your Childhood Monster? Blogfest sign-up

My paranormal romance novella, FEARLESS, will be released on August 7th. To help promote it, I wanted to do something fun. One of my favorite parts of writing the story was creating monsters spawned from children's imaginations. Some of them are silly, but there's no rhyme or reason to a child's fears.

I'll be hosting a blogfest that will go from August 7th to the 9th. You can post on any one of those three days. (I like it when blogfests give you an option of which day to post on!) For this blogfest, all you need to do is write about your childhood monster. Did you have a beast living under your bed? Or was the scary clown in your closet?

Please add a link back to my blog when you do your post, and if you would like to add anything about FEARLESS, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Sign up on the linky list below and grab one of the badges from this post to add to your blog's sidebar. I'm eager to read everyone's posts for the What Was Your Childhood Monster? Blogfest!

Fearless release date

AUGUST 7th!

Mark it on your calendars! Of course, I'll be reminding you. I've been making great progress this week on the revisions. I'm not changing much at all, but it needed cleaning up. A big thank you to Cherie Reich who's a superb editor. Tawa will be proud.

To celebrate the release of Fearless, I'll be hosting a "What was your childhood monster?" blogfest. I'll make a badge and set up a linky list very soon. (I'm still behind on everything. I don't work well in the heat. No air-conditioning yet.)

I will be offering Fearless for free everywhere. (Well, ninety-nine cents on Amazon until they price-match it!)

The official blurb:

Abby White was seven years old when she killed the monster under her bed. Now she slays creatures spawned by the fertile imaginations of children, and the number of these nightmares are on the rise. Neither she nor her guide - a stuffed hippo named Tawa - know why.

When she rescues Demetrius from an iron prison, he pledges his life to protect hers until he can return the favor. She doesn't want the help. And how can she concentrate on her job when the gorgeous wild fae throws himself in front of her during every fight? No matter how tempting, she can't take the time to lose herself to him.

To save the children and all she loves, Abby must be truly Fearless.

Fearless Cover Reveal

I was very excited to get 50 followers

on my Facebook fan page.

They were the first to get a peek at the cover.

I won't keep the rest of you waiting!

Ah, Tawa. You are the star!

A big thank you to the wonderful Aubrie Dionne for helping me with it.

Thank you to everyone who encouraged me and

popped in to read my A to Z Challenge story every day in April.

You guys rock!

I plan to have Fearless out at the beginning of August.

I'll let you all know later next month the exact date.

A to Z Challenge - Z is for Zero

This is the end of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

Z IS FOR ZERO

"Are you sure you're ready?" Demetrius kept his arms firmly locked around her. Abby didn't protest. She'd stay in his arms for the rest of her days if she could.

"I'm fine. I need to work. I have to pay the bills somehow." She kissed him and ran her fingers along the side of his face. He needed to shave, but she wasn't complaining. She never thought stubble could be such a turn-on.

"I'm going to ask my cousin if I can work with him. He's a park warden not far from here. Then you can stay home--"

"And do what?" Abby kissed him again and smiled. "I want to work. I like tutoring kids. And the monsters aren't all going to disappear because I killed the one inside of Burrows' head. There're still children out there that need me to protect them." She wouldn't abandon her duty because she fell in love. She didn't have to hear him say it to know he admired that about her even if he wanted to fight every fight for her. It was going to be difficult to do without Tawa to guide her, but wouldn't let the monsters take one more child on her watch.

Dang right they need you. Tawa's voice was sudden and loud. How long have I been gone? You better have been out there doing your duty rather than lazing around in bed with that troublesome fae.

"Tawa!" Abby cried, freeing herself from Demetrius and turning around in a circle as if she could spot the stuffed hippo. "Where are you?"

"I've been trying to get her to laze around in bed." Demetrius smirked.

I'm in your backpack. Where else would I be? Get me out of here. Tawa demanded.

"I can't believe you're alive! When you were eaten by that monster, I thought you were gone forever." Abby snatched her backpack off the hook near her front door and bounced around with happiness. She unzipped it, but there was no hippo inside. She checked all the pouches. There was a pad of paper, pencils, and a calculator. She frowned. "Where are you?"

Right here. Tawa huffed and Abby could now pinpoint the source of her voice. I just needed to get situated into a new vessel after the last one was destroyed.

"My calculator?" Abby gaped. Demetrius burst into a fit of laughter.

Yes, how absolutely embarrassing for you and horrifying for me. Worse than that stuffed toy.

"Hey, I've had this calculator since I was in high school. I really love it." As Abby said it, she realized why Tawa now found herself in the device. Abby had few material objects she valued, and being a math nerd, well, this was one of them. Her cheeks went a bit pink, but she grinned.

I want you to get attached to a respectable object and then destroy this thing so I can move into a proper vessel, Tawa said with every ounce of her self that Abby knew and loved.

"You've lost..." Abby punched a few keys on the calculator. "Zero percent of your bossiness." She hugged the device as Tawa snorted. "I missed you. I'm so glad you're back."

Demetrius came up behind Abby and hugged her from behind. He kissed the top of her head, still chuckling. "I've a few objects that I can help Abby get attached to."

Oh no. No way. Tawa was the expert at vocally shaking her head. I told you he was trouble, Abby. Hey, what about the blood oath? Was it repaid?

"Yes, it was." Abby smiled and turned her head to kiss him. "And now he's working on repaying the second one which I'm determined to take a very long time."

A to Z Challenge - T is for Tawa

This is part of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

T IS FOR TAWA

"No." The word came out as barely a whimper.

There was an answering roar of pain from down the hall. The monsters had taken Demetrius to the ground. He was sitting on one, pounding another, and a third had just leapt onto his back.

There was no time for Abby to let loose her tears. She swiped at the monster who had swallowed Tawa with her sword, scratching it across the eyes, and then ran down the hall as her other blade emerged from her right hand. She used her momentum to skewer the creature on Demetrius' back. She hopped over him and tossed the dead thing into one of the rooms. She spun and chopped down another beast. Black blood splashed over the walls and dripped on her from the ceiling.

Demetrius killed the other two. Ignoring his wounds, he picked up his club and met the newly blinded monster as it tore down the hall at them. His swing sent it flying against the wall. Abby was there to stake it to the ground and disembowel it. There was nothing inside but shadows and ooze.

"No!" This time, her cry rattled her throat. Abby would have fallen to the floor if Demetrius didn't put an arm around her. A few shuddering sobs escaped her before she could speak again. "Tawa. It ate Tawa."

Demetrius held her closer, stroking her arm. "Tawa went down honorably. But there's no time for mourning. Now is the time for vengeance."

Since the night when Abby had killed her first monster, Tawa had been the only one who ever truly knew her. Her parents had no sympathy for a child's wild imagination. Her friends at school could never know. Then as an adult, no one knew her secret calling. Tawa wasn't only her teacher and guide, she was her confidante and best friend. Her life was a little less lonely with the stuffed hippo.

Now Tawa was gone.

"Vengeance." Abby numbly repeated. Her face hardened as she walked to the attic door and opened it.

A to Z Challenge - S is for Swallowed

This is part of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

S IS FOR SWALLOWED

Go to the attic. That's where most of the characters are killed in Burrows' book. Tawa informed them. It's also where Jessica tells Matt that she kissed his best friend, but he still protected her and got eaten.

"What else does the book say?" Abby followed Demetrius up the stairs. Her steps were careful and silent. Her heart was still pounding and her lips still tingling. "Seems kind of soap opera-ishy for a kids' book."

Matt was the older brother of the protagonist. His death helped motivate her. Not soap opera-ishy. I just have a mature appreciation for the story, Tawa said. The attic is through the door at the far end of the hall.

Abby reached the top of the stairs and stood beside Demetrius. She could feel the heat of his body and had to battle the temptation to touch him. She silently chastised herself, demanding focus. There were five doors between them and the closed one at the end of the hall. All five doors opened slowly and green glowing cat's eyes locked onto their prey.

"Of course," Abby groaned. "At the end of a hall filled with monsters."

"I'll clear the way." Demetrius tapped his club on the floor and crooked a finger at the beasts. "Come here, kitty, kitty, kitty."

The answering growls didn't sound feline at all, but the monsters had a big cat's grace as they padded out of the rooms and fell into a synchronized prowl. Demetrius raised his club and roared, barreling down the hall at them. He smashed two against the wall as a third bit into his forearm. A fourth jumped high into the air over the others going for his head.

Abby threw her blade with her right hand. It twirled in the air leaving a pale blue contrail and hit its mark.

The monster fell motionless to the ground, but there were still four. Demetrius snarled and slammed the beast attached to his arm onto the floor. The position allowed him to headbutt another as it charged him as Abby moved forward to join him.

Abby! Tawa screamed.

Turning around, but not quick enough, Abby faced another green eyed beast that had come from a linen closet. It had snatched Tawa from her backpack and, with a technique like an alligator, it swallowed the stuffed hippo with two hungry gulps.

A to Z Challenge - R is for Reflex

This is part of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

R IS FOR REFLEX

Abby's hands glowed and the swords slid out. She gripped the slim hilts, trying to ignore the nervous perspiration. She and Demetrius moved to stand back-to-back with one another. Instinctive reflex.

Who turned out the lights? Tawa squawked from the other room.

"I guess I'm not getting any dinner." His humor didn't hide the tension in his voice.

"I think that's the least of your worries." Abby listened for something, anything, but the house itself didn't even creak. "Too bad you didn't bring your club. Anything else you could use as a weapon here?"

"Ah, but I did bring it." Demetrius reached into his pants' pocket. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped as he withdrew his enormous weapon. It was like watching a cartoon. It wasn't physically possible. Her mouth opened and shut wordlessly.

"Bet you're wondering what else is in my pants." He smirked, clearly enjoying her reaction. She elbowed him. "Magical weapon. It can be a twig or a trunk depending on your needs."

"I'm not going to say anything." There was no way Abby could do without thinking about what else was in his pants. Focus. She needed to focus. "Burrows was expecting us to do something. We search one room at a time."

"Main floor first," Demetrius said. "Then--"

Staircase! Tawa shouted. Something's coming down the stairs!

Abby and Demetrius raced from the TV room. She managed to catch sight of what looked like a black magic carpet hovering beside the bannister before it pounced on the fae. It wrapped itself around him and his club like an inky cocoon. He twisted and fell, rolling on the floor.

The thing was smothering him, and Abby couldn't wildly stab it without hitting Demetrius too. "Hold still!" It was like trying to tell a cat in a bath to stop fighting. He was a fighter. He couldn't stop himself.

Let him fight it. Go after Burrows. She's the real threat here. Tawa barked.

"No. Dammit." Abby cursed. She tried to shallowly slice at the monster, and though it squealed, it didn't release its hostage. Her heart hammered in her chest. She refused to let him die. She stepped on either side of Demetrius and trapped him between her legs. She raised her right sword and brought it down through the most bulky part of the cocoon.

The monster wailed and let go of Demetrius. He gulped in a huge breath. It shuddered before flopping down to lay motionless between her legs.

Demetrius stared at her and then at her blade still embedded in his club. "You could have hit me."

"There's nothing about you that big." Abby yanked her sword free and stepped away. She scooped up her backpack, hitching it over her shoulders.

"That you know of." Demetrius picked himself up. "You should have listened to Tawa. If Burrows gets away--"

"No." Abby replied too quickly. The thought of leaving him behind to die tore at her soul. She cleared her throat and motioned to the stairs. "Besides, she's not going to leave. All monsters want to fight. And you deserve better than death by blanket."

Demetrius grabbed on of the backpack's straps and pulled her to him. He kissed her. Nothing gentle about it. Teeth clinked as his tongue rolled around hers. Her world spun and went out of focus. When he pulled back an inch, all she could see was him.

"You saved my life again. If I had two lives to pledge to you, you would have them." His eyes bore into hers. "Honor or not, you already have me. Blood for blood, breath for breath, heart for heart."

Abby didn't have time to respond before he let her go, turned, and marched up the stairs. It wouldn't have mattered. His words left her more breathless than the kiss.

A to Z Challenge - Q is for Quiet

This is part of one continuing story throughout the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

Q IS FOR QUIET

The house at the end of the road. I wonder how much it's like the one in the book. Tawa piped up from the backpack.

"It could be exactly the same for all it matters." Abby rang the doorbell. Her breath made small impatient clouds. Her head still hurt, but from lack of sleep rather than her injuries. Her wrist was wrapped up and she had taken some Tylenol. She was at the best she could be without more time to rest and heal.

"Do you hear that?" Demetrius cocked his head to the side.

"What? The cheesy jazz music Burrows just turned on in there?" Abby snorted.

Hey, that's Sarah Vaughan. This is classic jazz. Tawa asserted.

"No," Demetrius said in a quiet tone. "There's no nightlife. No birds or animals. It's only seven. No kids or even teenagers out in the neighborhood."

Abby had been too lost to her own thoughts to notice the eerie quiet of the night. Even if it was cold out, it wasn't late. She didn't get more than a few seconds to nod at Demetrius before the door swung open.

Burrows smiled at Demetrius with lips painted too red. Then she noticed Abby and her smile faltered. "Oh, hello. Good evening."

"A good evening to you, my dear Myrtle. I hope you don't mind. My sister was feeling better and I didn't want her sitting around the hotel by herself, so I brought her along." Demetrius grinned and walked inside without waiting for an invitation. He unbuttoned his jacket and slid it off. He rolled his big shoulders and dropped the jacket over the back of a chair.

"Oh, well, I suppose. I didn't make enough food for three." Burrows fiddled with the rings on her right hand. She stepped back and motioned to Abby. "Come on in then."

"Thanks. And it's all right. I'm not hungry." Not for food, anyway. Abby walked near to Burrows, but her hands didn't glow. What was different in the store the first time they met? She closed the door behind her.

What's it look like? Is there a curving staircase? Tawa inquired. Two of her characters had their first kiss on it and then one of them was killed in the same spot.

"Nice place you've got here. I see you got a lot of your inspiration for your books from your own home." Demetrius answered Tawa's question as he took a slow tour around the main room. He came near Burrows and threw her a sexy little smile. "You look lovely tonight. That color brings out your eyes."

Abby suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Burrows wore a hideous green sweater that made her look more like a toad than anything else. She undid her coat and eased the backpack off, setting it on the floor. She bent as if settling her bag and opened the top so Tawa's head popped out.

"Thank you." Burrows cooed and flushed. "Um, perhaps your sister would like to go into the TV room and watch something while you and I have dinner?"

Demetrius looked over at Abby and she gave him a subtle shake of her head. She wasn't going to wait for them to have a leisurely meal before they questioned Burrows. They needed answers as soon as possible. The monsters would come out as soon as children started going to bed. There was no time to waste.

"If you don't mind, darling, I think maybe we could all go have a sit-down. Our conversation got cut short earlier today and I prefer to work up an appetite." Demetrius gestured to their hostess to lead the way. Burrows looked as if she was going to protest, but finally nodded and took them into a smaller room where the furniture was more worn in and a flat screen TV hogged the space on the far wall.

"Have a seat. I'll just check on the food and make sure it doesn't get cold." Burrows exited the room with a smile over her shoulder at Demetrius.

Ten seconds later, the power went out. The house was dark and quiet. Too quiet. Just like it had been outside.

-----------------

(Blogger pre-scheduling problems: For some reason, Blogger isn't automatically posting for me. I don't know why it's suddenly doing this. Anyone have any ideas?)

A to Z Challenge - N is for No one

I'm writing one story over the course of the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

N IS FOR NO ONE

Abby's hands had never glowed in the day, in front of other adults, nor at the introduction of a human. Since it was obviously morning and there were adults around, it meant Burrows wasn't human.

"Good morning, Miss Burrows." Demetrius pushed Abby to the side, making the writer focus her attention on him. And oh, did her attention focus on him. "My sister here is a big fan, but she never told me how lovely you are. Talented and beautiful. A rare combination." He smiled that killer smile of his and leaned on the table. His gaze was smoky under long lashes.

"Oh, well, uh, thank you." Burrows fumbled, blushing and pushing up her glasses with her index finger. "It's always, uh, nice to meet my fans. Please, call me Myrtle."

Abby left the book on the table and stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. She could stop the swords from emerging, but not the glow. She couldn't do anything here. She wasn't even sure what she should do. Burrows didn't look to be a threat. She was barely managing to talk when faced with Demetrius' charm. There as no such thing as a false alarm with her powers, though.

What's going on? Where's the danger? Tawa asked from within the backpack, urgency in her voice.

That was the question. Was Burrows dangerous? Or was there something around her? Abby didn't dare say another word with Demetrius continuing to chat up the writer.

Burrows absently signed Abby's copy and pushed it back to her without even looking. She smiled and giggled like girl at his compliments.

Retrieving herself from the shock, Abby picked up the book and stepped back with her hands hidden in her sleeves. She thought he was laying it on too heavily, but then Burrows agreed to meet them for coffee later at a nearby cafe. He gave her a parting wink and sauntered out of the bookstore, not waiting for his "sister" to catch up until he was outside.

Abby was barely limping as she hurried after him. Once out of view of the shop's windows, she put the book in her backpack and poked him on the arm. "What was that all about? That wasn't the plan."

"I saved you from revealing yourself in there. I had to give the woman something more interesting to think about than glowing hands." Demetrius shot back. He grabbed her forearms and looked at her hands. "They're not glowing any more. Why where they? I didn't sense any beasts in there and Burrows is obviously human."

"I don't know." Abby huffed, yanking herself free from his grip. "Something is up with her, obviously. And the children...." She shook her head as her chest tightened. "How does no one see something is wrong here?"

Because adults only see what they want to see. You know that, Tawa replied in a sage tone. These people probably see a virus going around and making children ill.

"And all the missing children?" Abby asked.

Runaways. Kids have all sorts of weird pacts these days, Tawa said. Also, children eaten by monsters leave a sort of strange void. The parents know they're gone, but their feelings are numbed. It's a phenomena that's never been explained, but my theory is that it's part of the beasts' defenses, so the adult population never finds out about them. Just like the monsters' bodies vanishing in the morning after you've slayed them.

"No evidence of the beasts and thus they don't exist." Demetrius ran his hands through his dark hair, muscles tense.

Abby had never failed the children she protected. She hadn't thought of what might occur if no one was there to save the children. The tightness rose from her chest to her throat. This had to stop. She couldn't allow this to go on any longer.

"Burrows has something to do with this. We will find out what it is." Abby turned toward the cafe across the street. She had no idea what was going on or how to start the search, but she would figure it out. She had to figure it out.

Monsters were breeding from children's minds inspired by Burrows' books. This was the writer's hometown. The children here had no one fighting for them.

Until now.

A to Z Challenge - M is for Mousy

This story spans the entire month of the Challenge.

If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

M IS FOR MOUSY

"Don't puke on my boots." Demetrius wasn't smiling, but she could still hear the amusement in his tone and wanted to smack him for it.

"I'm not going to puke." Abby leaned against the trunk of the tree, waiting for the world to right itself. In the Ways, she couldn't tell up from down or that there was solid ground under her feet. Demetrius hadn't been bothered by the Ways at all. Of course, he had been traveling them all his life, but she still wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing just how badly her mind had been tossed around on their short stroll.

By the sounds your stomach is making, I think you're going to puke, Tawa said.

"I'm. Not. Going. To. Puke." To prove her point, Abby straightened up and pushed away from the tree. She swayed a bit, but held herself up. Walking, well, that was going to be another story.

"It's a wonder you're still conscious and sane. The Ways have driven humans to worse things than puking in the grass." Demetrius smirked a bit this time.

Abby opened her mouth to yell at him for not telling her that bit of information before taking her into the Ways, but she snapped her mouth shut. She never asked and they needed to get to Wisconsin fast. She had too many other things on her mind when they left her loft. Like how his body had felt pressed to hers and how he so easily set her heart pounding.

"Okay. We find a road and a cab. Burrows is doing a signing at a local bookstore this morning." Abby dared take a step and didn't fall over. One foot in front of the other. Step, limp, step. Don't think about Demetrius. Children's lives were in danger. She adjusted her backpack over her shoulders. Tawa was near weightless, but the book seemed to weigh fifty pounds. "I'll talk to her and see what I can find out."

"We'll talk to her." Demetrius corrected her.

I have a few questions of my own I want you to ask, Tawa added.

"You'll wait outside. You'll likely scare her." Abby shook her head.

"Or she'll be so charmed by my good looks that she'll tell me anything I want to know." He flashed her a grin.

Abby rolled her eyes and then sighed. The fae had a good point. She had read Burrows' bio on her website. Burrows wasn't married. A handsome man might be more welcome than just another fan. A flash of possessiveness went through her at the thought of letting Demetrius do such a thing. This helped to make up her mind. "Fine. All right. You're Plan B. But only if I don't learn anything from her."

That pacified Demetrius and the taxi ride to the bookstore kept him quiet. When they got out of the cab and she paid the driver, she was going to make a smart remark about Demetrius puking on her boots. Seeing his pale face, though, she held her tongue. Instead, she remained silent as he took a moment to compose himself.

The bookstore was called The Window Seat. There were half a dozen cozy nooks with great views for people to sit in and read. When they went inside, the line to get a book signed was curled halfway around the building. Abby groaned under her breath, but walked to the end of the line and waited her turn.

"I'm going to walk around," Demetrius said near her ear and disappeared from her sight amongst the shelves.

Abby spied him a few times walking the perimeter of the store pretending to browse. She let her gaze wander. After a few minutes, a small girl bumped into her leg as she hadn't seen where she was going.

"Sorry," the girl cringed and hurried off to catch up with her mother before Abby could say it was okay.

Abby didn't know why the child had seemed afraid of her. In fact, it was too quiet in a store full of children. There was no laughter or squealing. None of them were running willy-nilly around the shelves or shouting at each other. The children looked overly tired, big circles around many of their eyes. They weren't getting any sleep. She didn't have to reason out why. This was far worse than the area she lived.

Demetrius came up behind her and startled her. He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"There's a bulletin board at the other side of the store." He was whispering. Why was he whispering? "It's covered in missing children posters."

How could no one else see there was a problem? Why wasn't the media all over the fact not just one but several children were missing? Where was the Fearless that was suppose to watch over this area? There were too many unanswered questions. More so, too many big unanswered questions.

Abby almost didn't realize she was at the front of the line until Demetrius nudged her. She blinked and put on a friendly smile as she stepped up to the author's table. Burrows was a small, mousy woman. Her glasses sat on the tip of her nose and her brown sweater had too much fuzz. She didn't look like a woman who wrote scary stories.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Abby took the book from her backpack and held it out to Burrows. At the same time, her hands started to glow.

A to Z Challenge - K is for Knees

This is part of a story continuing through the whole Challenge.

If you're just joining me, please start with A is for Abby.

K IS FOR KNEES

"Get out of there now!" Demetrius bellowed, trying to grab Abby from the window. His broad shoulders prevented him from slipping through.

Abby ignored him. She stood with knees bent, ready to spring into action. She nearly gagged with the fermented musky scent of the things as it threatened to stick to her throat.

A swarm. Best strategy is to keep moving and use broad, sweeping strikes. Tawa instructed. And don't give them a chance to jump on you all at once.

"Really? I thought that would be the best plan, considering how fuzzy and cute they look." Abby swiped at the first brave beast that pounced at her. She sliced it in half and it fell like mush to the floor.

"Dammit, Abby! Get out!" Demetrius snarled, pounding at the sides of the window. He then let out a roar of frustration and disappeared from sight.

With a squealing cry, the monsters attacked. Abby spun fast, low to the ground. Her glowing blades made it look like the circle was unbroken. Many of the creatures met the same fate as the first beast, but two of them landed on their target.

Abby screamed as their long teeth bit into her. One of them managed to scrape against bone. She skewered the monsters and three more launched themselves at her.

Abby! Tawa cried. Retreat to higher ground. Go for the stairs!

A violet monster attached itself to Abby's ankle as she dove over the horde and landed in a somersault. She didn't land on both feet, but stretched the leg out that the critter clung to and smacked it on the cement floor. It squeaked, but didn't let go. It gave two others the opportunity to jump on Abby's back.

The basement door burst open and Demetrius flew down the stairs. With his first strike, he squashed the one latched on to Abby's ankle and then yanked the others off her back. As if with the same motion, Abby turned and slammed her swords through the pair of beasts. Black blood formed shiny puddles.

Demetrius leapt over her and to one side to crush a turquoise one. Abby pushed herself forward on her knees to skid across the now slick floor. She swept her blades out to the sides and killed most of the remaining monsters. Demetrius smashed the last two with a victorious grunt.

They searched the basement in silence for any beasts that might have been hiding. Not finding any more, Abby limped to the center of the room to face Demetrius. She felt as though she might topple over from blood loss at any moment, but sheer will kept her standing. He was still breathing heavily as he eyed her wounds.

"I told you I could take care of it," Abby said as her swords disappeared.

"And I told you not to go in without me." His reply was low with his displeasure.

Neither of them moved.

So now that you saved Abby's life, your blood debt has been paid.You can go home now. Tawa's voice was crisp and business-like.

Abby's stomach flipped. She bit the side of her tongue to keep herself from begging him to stay.

Demetrius stared at her for another few seconds and then shook his head. "Abby would have killed them all eventually. Her life wasn't in any danger. My blood debt still stands."

Abby wanted to grin and throw her arms around him. Her mouth twitched and her body relaxed. No matter how good she thought she was at hiding her emotions, she spied his little smirk as he offered his arm to help her up the stairs.

A to Z Challenge - J is for Jelly beans

This is an ongoing story for the Challenge.

If you're just joining me, please start with A is for Abby.

J IS FOR JELLY BEANS

Abby took shallow breaths, unwilling to her body press any more to Demetrius' than it already was. They were swashed into a corner by a deck and a garage. Tawa was mashed against the wall and complaining in some ancient language. Sounded a little like Greek but not quite.

The man on the deck told his dog to hurry up and finish his business. The dog, of course, took his time.

Abby could hear Demetrius' heart in his chest. It annoyed her it was much calmer than hers. Her stomach quivered and her hands clenched. No matter how she was breathing, she could smell that masculine woodsy scent that she had come to know as his. Even though he had been using her soap in the shower, he still smelled like he had just come out of the forest. He was as hard and solid as a great oak too. Yet cut in the most appealing of ways.

She glanced to see him looking at her. A smirk quirked up his lips and he leaned against her more so. Abby wanted to look away, but her head refused to move. Those lips of his were a crime. Too full and sensual to be a man's, but so fitting for the fae. What would it feel like to have him kiss her? Would he be tender? Or would he be wild as he was when fighting?

The dog finally did his thing and trotted back up to the house. The man muttered and shuffled inside, shutting the glass doors and locking them. The outside lights turned off.

Abby and Demetrius stood where they were for another minute. Their gazes locked. Goose bumps freckled her arms as he bent his head. He was going to kiss her. Oh, how she wanted to taste that fire.

My face is squished. Tawa grumbled. This is only the first house of the night. Let's get moving.

Tawa's sharp voice was enough to knock some sense back into Abby's head. She pushed her way out of their hiding spot, taking in a deep breath of the cool night air. She needed to focus on the matter at hand and not the gorgeous man her hands wanted to be exploring at the moment.

"This one's in the basement. Let's avoid going in through the rest of the house in case anyone is still awake. There's a window to the basement right there." Abby pointed to it. She stiffened as she felt Demetrius' hand on the small of her back. He seemed warmer than he should, or was that just her?

"I won't fit through the window. We can go through the back here. No alarms, right?"

"No alarms, but we're not taking the chance that anyone's still awake. I can take care of this one myself." Abby marched forward and worked the window open.

"You're not going in without me." Demetrius' tone was one that demanded her to obey. She ignored him. When she sat on the ground and slid her legs in through the window, he grabbed a hold of her arm. "Not without me."

"I've been doing this for years without any help. It's just one monster." Abby tore her arm from his grasp. "You go prance around the yard or whatever it is you fairies do." She slid the rest of the way in before he could snatch her again. "Oh, be careful. The dog left something nasty out there."

Demetrius cursed at her and stuck his head through the window. "I have a blood debt. I will not have my honor insulted by being ignored or belittled like this."

"Yes, yes." Abby waved a dismissive hand at him and let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the basement. There was only one child in the house. Mark had sent her a note with the boy's address and nightmare. Furry critter in the basement ready to yank him down there and eat him. She heard a noise to her left. Her palms glowed and her blades slid free. She gripped them tightly.

The ceiling wasn't high and she could see nothing her height or taller. Another noise and she looked down. A monster the size of a rabbit hopped into view. It was all eyes, ears, and mouth, and the rest of it was covered in dirty purple fur. It growled and left a big pile of slobber on the floor.

"Lovely." Abby wrinkled her nose. She could step on the thing and be done with it.

There was another noise to her right. Then one in front of her.

Several growls echoed the first creature's and nearly two dozen of the critters hopped into view. Each of them a color of the pastel rainbow.

What do you see? How many? Tawa asked.

"Rabid jelly beans. A whole freakin' basket full."