Tuesday Teaser

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! I hope every one had a wonderful holiday weekend! Don't forget that taking a moment to thank our military men and women should be year round and not limited to just one day. :-) With an active genealogy file on my desk, I am also reminded of the countless men and women in my personal family tree who served in battles almost forgotten.

It's the start of a busy week for us as well! Today is the first of the last few days of school for the children and I am in the final countdown to Arizona Dreamin'! Woo woo!!! I'm so excited! It's my first trip without family and children in tow in almost a decade!!!!! I've been packing and repacking for two weeks now... and as I sit here, I'm getting ready to do it again... *giggle*

Okay, okay... so before I ramble on too much and do something like... forget the children at school.... on with the teaser! Don't forget to check out Krystal Shannan's  teaser... I took a peak and let me tell you... it's SMOKIN' HOT over on her blog! *fans* Don't forget to leave a comment!

Happy Tuesday!

Luna's black boots crunched along the worn path. The steady thump of her steps on the dirt was the only sound in the forest. The silence didn't concern her. Birds had been absent from this part of the country for nearly a century. Her gaze swept the trees in front of her as she moved. Bobcats and black bears were still seen on occasion. A metallic scent carried on an icy breeze and she quickened her steps. The fear of being caught in the mountain forest in an early season snow storm weighed heavy on her mind. The regulated temperatures on Yue - Liang caused her to forget about the seasonal changes that were normal on Earth.

In Old Rochester she'd paid for discreet transport to get her within fifty miles of Marston. Everyone made the last fifty miles on foot. Luna adjusted the leather strap across her shoulders as a familiar tree came into view.

I can't believe it's still here. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. The leaves, long since fallen, scattered dark brown around the base of the tree and crunched under her feet. She'd had her first kiss under the tree. Luna veered off the path. The tree meant she was almost there.

The aging oak tree sat atop a knoll and from beneath its bare branches she would be able to see Marston spread out in the valley a mile below. Luna hurried to the tree, her own excitement surprising her. She stepped onto the same granite rock where she'd stood the day she'd left Marston a decade before. 

Tucked in a secluded valley in what was left of the Adirondaks, Luna had called Marston home for eighteen years. Her heart raced and she pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She recognized half a dozen rooftops. She caught movement through the trees and watched until she made out an armed guard circling the southern perimeter of the town. She frowned as she watched him circle away from the town and follow a path towards the tree.

Teaser Tuesday

Happy Tuesday!!!! Let's get right down to it this morning... don't forget to check out the fabulous Krystal Shannan's teaser as well as any teaser's you might find linked through the comments. Drop us all a comment to let us know you were here! Happy teasing!

Prologue

Yue - Liang, Moon

Late Fall, 2608

The rumble of the ship's engine vibrated through the soles of her feet. Luna Blacke closed her eyes and fought the urge to vomit on her shoes. Her hands fumbled with the belt as she secured herself into the seat.

"Miss Luna," the captain of the Fire Spark II stopped next to her seat. His green eyes twinkled down at her as he offered a dulled flask.

Luna pulled an envelope from the worn, leather bag next to her and passed it to him.

"I appreciate this, Captain." Luna watched him tuck the envelope into a pocket inside his jacket without looking inside.

"It's a pleasure to do business with you Luna," he winked and offered the flask again. Luna arched an eyebrow as she accepted it from him. "You pay your fair share and look pretty on my dirty ship."

Luna sniffed the contents of the flask and returned his smile.

"Free juice only sweetens the deal," the captain added as he Luna passed the flask back to him. Her grin widened. Captain Boosh helped her run a lucrative but illegal business.

Tuesday Teaser

*yawn* Good Tuesday morning to you! It's been a long night in the London household. Thunderstorms rumbled and shook the house until about 3am and then the nightmares started. Stupid dreams that startle me awake. And why must nightmares be such great plot ideas? I foresee lots of caffeine for me today!

On to the teaser! Hope you enjoy it! Leave a comment below so that I know you dropped by! Don't forget to stop by the fabulous Krystal Shannan's  blog for her own Tuesday Tease!

"Mama, I’ll be good," the little girl whispered. She clung to her mother's legs. "I didn’t mean to fall in the water, I promise I won't do it again." She looked up, her mother's face shadowed by her cloak hood. The winter's night air wrapped around her legs and she shivered. Confusion whirled in her mind. They whispered about her fall into the water at the bath house. "Mama, someone pushed me, don't you believe me?"

 Arms circled her shoulders as her mother dropped to her knees. "Oh, Dominica," her mother sobbed against her. "One day I hope you'll understand."  She buried her face against her mother. The sweet smell of rosewater filled her nose. Her mother's scent.

 "She will be safe, Brother. I give you my word." The senior Vestal nodded her promise to the little girls father. "No one will touch her inside the temple."

 "I know, Sister." Her father nodded. The little girl saw tears in his eyes. "Dominica, it's time. Kiss your mother," he ordered in a voice that cracked as he spoke.

 "But I promise," the little girl sobbed as her father pulled her away from her mother. "I'll be good!" Her scream echoed against the side of the temple. Her father squeezed her one last time and pushed her into the outstretched arms of the Vestal Priestess.

 "Hush, now, child," the Vestal whispered into her ear.

  "No! Mama! Papa! Don't leave me!"

Tuesday Teaser

Happy Tuesday! We are well into the May countdown! Two days until my birthday (woo woo!), five until Mother's day, nine until our wedding anniversary (wee! nine years!!), twenty-four days and I'm on a jet plane headed for Arizona Dreamin'! WOO WOO!!!

Now, my Tuesday Teaser isn't long and the part that I scribbled out was never finished and written several years ago and tucked away. When I found it this morning I knew it was what I wanted to share with you! Don't forget to hop over to Krystal Shannan's teaser... it's hot hot hot!!!! Leave a comment so we know you dropped by!!!!

On to the teaser... and as always ... unedited. 

 “Hold on, I’m running late.” Lily called as she disappeared into the bathroom. Sam frowned as he watched the door close behind her. The tension radiating from her was enough to choke him. Glancing around the tiny one bedroom apartment he noted that nothing ever seemed to change. The couch and the chair had not changed since she had bought them five years before. Apparently she didn’t sit on them much, they still looked new. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the open bottle of wine and the empty glass on the corner table.

“Celebrating early, Lily?” Sam picked up the bottle, open but still full and chilled, and glanced at the label. Cheap. She never could pick out decent wine.

“I am a bit nervous, Sam.” Lily whispered from behind him. “I have not seen most of these people in over six months.” Sam nodded with understanding as he poured the glass half full and handed it to her. Taking in the sight of her as she quickly tilted the glass back. Sam had seen her the last time, six months before after receiving a phone call from an ER doctor.

Teaser Tuesday

Happy May Day and good Tuesday morning to you! I must admit, May is my favorite month of the year. It never fails that the month is always jam packed with good things in our family. This year, it also starts the countdown to my trip to Arizona Dreamin'!!!!! Yay!!! I'm nervous and excited! One more month and I get an entire weekend away! Did I mention I haven't been somewhere without kids and family in tow in nearly a decade? Of course, my oldest daughter understands where I'm going but can't understand WHY she can't go too. She also decided that she is going to diligently work on her own novel so that when she does get the opportunity to go - she'll be published.

She's 8.

Why didn't I have this type of foresight when I was 8? Or hell, 30 for that matter?!???

Okay, it's Teaser Tuesday and I decided to drop in a few lines from the piece I wrote for Nano back in November. I surpassed the 50,000 words and set the idea aside and haven't looked at it since. At some point, it needs serious revision....

Don't forget to drop by Krystal Shannan's  page for her teaser! It's a great one!!!!!


(excerpt from The Rebel Spy)

“What the hell is going on here?” General Steele demanded angrily as he broke through the undergrowth. Light from the moon filtered through the trees. He assessed the scene with one sweeping gaze. His soldiers had happened upon a woman in the forest. They now had her pinned securely to the ground.

“Sir, we’ve found a rebel.” Waxman sneered at the woman beneath him.

General Steele lifted a brow. Blood stained the front of Waxman’s shirt.

“It’s a spy, sir.” Waxman’s accomplice added. Tompkins didn’t look any better. His eye was already beginning to swell closed.

“Looks more like you’ve found a hell cat.” General Steele chuckled. The little rebel had obviously thrown a few good punches before his men had managed to wrestle her to the ground.

“We found this on her.” Tompkins held out the letter. The sobs of a child floated out of the trees and Knowles appeared. A squirming red headed girl held tightly in his arms.

“I heard her crying, Sir.” Knowles reported.

The young woman on the ground renewed her struggles with the appearance of the little girl.

“Be still, bitch,” Waxman hissed as her feet pounded against him. He shifted and pressed his knee into her back more deeply.

“Let her up, Waxman.” General Steele ordered.

“But, Sir,” Waxman protested.

“Let her up, now.” General Steele pressed his lips together and leveled a hard stare at the angry soldier. It wasn’t the first time Waxman was slow to obey an order. He nodded for Knowles to let the little girl go. The tiny girl immediately ran to where her mother was pushing up off the ground.

“Mama,” she sobbed against her mother’s skirts.

General Steele motioned again, this time for Tompkins to hand him the letter. The seal had been broken. He unfolded it and read silently.

“Bring them back to camp.” General Steele ordered softly. He tucked the letter into his jacket pocket.