Author or Series Challenges - 2013

So here are the beginning of my challenges for 2013. I started out last year great, was slowing down about April and by August everything had went kaput! Let's see if I can do better this year!

2013 Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge is being hosted by The Book Vixen.  

This challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31 and you can sign up at The Book Vixen.  I am signing up for the FIRST DATE level which is 1-4 books.  You can see all the details and levels when you sign up.  

The list of Nicholas Sparks novels are:

1. The Notebook
2. Message in a Bottle
3. A Walk to Remember
4. The Rescue
5. A Bend in the Road
6. Nights in Rodanthe
7. The Wedding
8. The Guardian
9. Three Weeks With My Brother
10. True Believer (read this before At First Sight)
11. At First Sight (read after True Believer)
12. The Choice
13. Dear John
14. The Lucky One
15. The Last Song
16. Safe Haven
17. The Best of Me

2013 Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge is being hosted by Darlene's Book Nook.  The challenge will run from Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2013 and you can sign up at Darlene's Book Nook.  I am going for "Just a Drop" - Level 1, which is 1-4 books. You can read all about the details when you sign up! 

The books in the Sookie Stackhouse (aka Southern Vampires) series by Charlaine Harris are: 

1. Dead Until Dark (Book #1)
2. Living Dead in Dallas (Book #2)
3. Club Dead (Book #3)
4. Dead to the World (Book #4)
5. Dead as a Doornail (Book #5)
6. Definitely Dead (Book #6)
7. All Together Dead (Book #7)
8. From Dead to Worse (Book #8)
9. Dead and Gone (Book #9)
10. Dead in the Family (Book #10)
11. Dead Reckoning (Book #11)
12. Deadlocked (Book #12)
13. Dead Ever After (Book #13) - expected publication in 2013

2013 Women's Murder Club Reading Challenge is being hosted by Darlene's Book Nook.   This challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2013 and you can sign up at Darlene's Book Nook.  I am signing up for "Amateur Sleuth" - Level 1 which is reading 1-3 books. You can find out all the details when you sign up!

The books in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson are:

1. 1st to Die (Women's Murder Club, Book #1)
2. 2nd Chance (Women's Murder Club, Book #2)
3. 3rd Degree (Women's Murder Club, Book #3)
4. 4th of July (Women's Murder Club, Book #4)
5. The 5th Horseman (Women's Murder Club, Book #5)
6. The 6th Target (Women's Murder Club, Book #6)
7. 7th Heaven (Women's Murder Club, Book #7)
8. The 8th Confession (Women's Murder Club, Book #8)
9. The 9th Judgment (Women's Murder Club, Book #9)
10. 10th Anniversary (Women's Murder Club, Book #10)
11. 11th Hour (Women's Murder Club, Book #11)
12. 12th of Never (Women's Murder Club, Book #12) - expected publication in 2013

2013 Sea Haven Reading Challenge is being hosted by Darlene's Book Nook.  This challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2013 and you can sign up at Darlene's Book Nook. I am signing up for "Just a Taste" - Level 1 which is to read 1-3 books.  You can find out all the details when you sign up!

The books in the Sea Haven Reading Challenge are comprised of two different series: the Drake Sisters and the Sisters of the Heart. Since the Sisters of the Heart series appears to be a spin-off of the Drake Sisters series, it would probably be best to start with that one first.

The Sea Haven novels by Christine Feehan are:

1. Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, Book #1)
2. The Twilight Before Christmas (Drake Sisters, Book #2)
3. Oceans of Fire (Drake Sisters, Book #3)
4. Dangerous Tides (Drake sisters, Book #4)
5. Safe harbor (Drake Sisters, Book #5)
6. Turbulent Sea (Drake Sisters, Book #6)
7. Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters, Book #7)
8. Water Bound (Sisters of the Heart, Book #1)
9. Spirit Bound (Sisters of the Heart, Book #2)

2013 Anne Rice Challenge is being hosted by The Towering Pile. This challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2013 and you can sign up at The Towering Pile. I am signing up for the Louis de Pointe du Lac - Level 1 - which is to read 1 - 5 books. You can find out all the details when you sign up.

Books by Anne Rice are:

1. Interview with the Vampire (Vampire Chronicles, Book #1)
2. The Vampire Lestat (Vampire Chronicles, Book #2)
3. The Queen of the Damned (Vampire Chronicles, Book #3)
4. The Tale of the Body Thief (Vampire Chronicles, Book #4)
5. Memnoch the Devil (Vampire Chronicles, Book #5)
6. The Vampire Armand (Vampire Chronicles, Book #6)
7. Merrick (Vampire Chronicles, Book #7)
8. Blood and Gold (Vampire Chronicles, Book #8)
9. Blackwood Farm (Vampire Chronicles, Book #9)
10. Blood Canticle (Vampire Chronicles, Book #10)
11. The Witching Hour (Mayfair Witches, Book #1)
12. Lasher (Mayfair Witches, Book #2)
13. Taltos (Mayfair Witches, Book #3)
14. Pandora (New Tales of the Vampires, Book #1)
15. Vittorio the Vampire (New Tales of the Vampires, Book #2)
16. Out of Egypt (Christ the Lord, Book #1)
17. The Road to Cana (Christ the Lord, Book #2)
18. Angel Time (Songs of the Seraphim, Book #1)
19. Of Love and Evil (Songs of the Seraphim, Book #2)
20. The Feast of All Saints
21. Cry to Heaven
22. The Mummy: or Ramses the Damned
23. Servant of the Bones
24. Violin
25. The Wolf Gift

She does have other books as well, but these would be the ones that I would be interested in reading.

2013 C.S. Lewis Reading Challenge hosted by Robin of My Two Blessings (This is really a mini-challenge under Robin's 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge.)  I am going to sign up for Toddler (Level 2) which is to read 4 books. I really want to reread The Chronicles of Narnia series. 

Non Fiction

A Grief Observed

A Year with C.S. Lewis 

An Experiment in Criticism 

Christian Reflection

God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics

Mere Christianity 

Miracles 

Pilgrims Regress

Reflections on the Psalms

Screwtape Letters

Studies in Words 

Surprised by Joy  

The Abolition of Man  

The Allegory of Love 

The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings 

The Discarded Image:  An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature

The Four Loves

 The Great Divorce

 The Weight of Glory

The World's Last Night: And Other Essays

Til We Have Faces 

The Problem of Pain

Fiction

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Prince Caspian

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 

The Silver Chair

The Horse and His Boy

The Magician's Nephew

The Last Battle

Space Trilogy

Out of the Silent Planet

Perelandra 

That Hideous Strength

2013 Sequel Reading Challenge is hosted by Auntie Spinelli Reads.  This challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2013.  Any book after the first book in the series counts. You can sign up at Auntie Spinelli Reads and get the rest of the details there!  I think I will commit to at least 4 sequels.  

1. x
2. x
3. x
4. x

2013 New Authors challenge is hosted by Literary Escapism.  This challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31, 2013.  I am going to try for 15 new authors this year.  You can sign up at Literary Escapism and get the rest of the details there. 

1. Frank Zaccari - Five Years to Live
2. Nicky Gumbel - Questions of Life
3. Bryan O'Grady - Amanda's Story
4. Jennifer Shirk - Kissing Kendall
5. Linda Morris - Melting the Millionaire's Heart
6. Charles Todd - Proof of Guilt
7. Stacy Green - Into the Dark
8. x
9. x
10. x
11. x
12. x
13. x
14. x
15. x
16. x
17. x
18. x
19. x

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This is my daughter singing "O Holy Night" - might want to keep your volume on medium to low - it can get quite loud at times. . . MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Book Review: For What It's Worth by Karey White

Title:For What It's Worth 
Author: Karey White
Publisher: Cedar Fort

About the Book: Twenty-four year-old, Abby Benson has dreams of owning her own wedding cake shop. An inheritance from her aunt gives her the ability to make those dreams come true. She hires Dane, a handsome contractor, to help her get the bakery up and running and soon they’re moving toward their own happy ending.

Unsure what to charge for her cakes, Abby has a crazy idea to let the customer decide what they think their cake is worth. This plan has its ups and downs, but the novelty of the idea makes her a local celebrity. When she is interviewed on television about the unusual idea, business booms and Abby has cake adventures she never dreamed possible. But as her fame grows, Abby is swept up in a whirlwind that threatens everything she values. With the challenges that face her, will she be able to determine what is worth the most?

My thoughts: When I first started reading, this seemed like it was going to be a nice chick lit romance with all the ingredients - Young girl gets dream inheritance, meets nice handsome eligible young man, business takes off, romance blooms,  happily ever after.  And for awhile it followed that recipe to a tee.

Abby gets a wonderful inheritance from her Aunt Grace, enabling her to open her own bakery - A Piece of Cake - that makes only wedding cakes.  In order to do this though, she hires a contracter from the area - Dane - who quickly becomes very important in her personal life as well.  When the bakery opens on schedule, word starts to get around that you are able to price your own wedding cake.  A small bit on the local news, leads to an even bigger story on The Today Show, and the next thing you know she is being flown to California to do a celebrity wedding cake!  Things couldn't be better for Abby at her bakery and her and Dane have fallen in love.

Then the conflict hits, and the misunderstandings, and the disagreement and hurt.  Abby, once she is able to get past the hurt and the blame, must take a look at her own life and make some decisions  - and the resolutions she comes to are no piece of cake.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked Abby and the way she treated people, and I liked her and Dane together.  The story really made me reexamine some things in my life though, based on the amount of time I devote to them, and what I think they are really worth.  I hope to be able to make some changes to give some things more time that truly deserve it and cut back on some of those that don't!  Great job Karey!  I like a book that makes me think!

Praise for For What It's Worth

Reading Karey White’s books, like eating chocolate cake, is always satisfying and brings a smile to my face. For What It’s Worth is light, romantic, and delicious. It’s a great pleasure read. Sit down and get lost in the charming world of wedding cakes and love. As an added bonus, each chapter  starts with a recipe, so it’s a novel and cookbook all in one. A fun read!
—Teri Harman, KSL columnist, Studio 5 contributor, and author of Blood Moon, available June 22, 2013

I just loved the book – loved it. Hated putting it down and hated finishing it. Karey White is my new Maeve Binchy, her writing as warm as the bakery her novel is set in. For What It’s Worth surprised me, made me smile, say “no” out loud in a public place. I love when a character feels like my sister. I didn’t want to finish it, so now I may try the recipes that began every chapter.
—Amanda Dickson, author and radio personality

This book oozes charm, romance, and mouth-watering recipes. If you want to escape reality and curl up with a darling story, For What It’s Worth is the perfect fit. Thank you, Karey White!
—Rachael Anderson, author

This is a book worth every penny of the price. In the business of baking wedding cakes, every detail must be perfection, but this story remembers that real life is oh-so-messy. White’s clear and honest writing left me hungry for good food, a close family, and a little romance. A beautiful marriage of food, family, and faith.
—Regina Sirois, author of On Little Wings, 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Purchase

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Book Trailer

Author Karey White
Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.

She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.

Links

Website * Twitter * Facebook 

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card + A Copy of For What It's Worth

Paperback available to US only, Ebook Available Internationally


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Tour Schedule

Promo Blitz: Unleashing God's Power: Maximize This Great Benefit of Christianity in Your Life by Jimi Akanbi

Reading Addiction Blog Tours is bringing you a Promo Blitz of Unleashing God's Power: Maximize This Great Benefit of Christianity in Your Life by Jimi Akanbi.

Christian/Non-Fiction

Date Published:11/6/12

An inspirational book for mid level to mature Christians. The book discusses eleven key steps to maximizing the power of God in a Christian's life. The author uses great analogies to connect things of the Spiritual to things of the natural. He also discusses deep uncommon truths about praise, prayer, Holy Spirit and faith. The book is definitely bound to empower and increase a Christian's faith, in turn, experience supernatural results in life.

Links to Buy 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords 

EXCERPT

Chapter 1: Understanding and Strengthening Your Faith in God
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
Belief is a by-product of faith. The following is a scenario that will shed light on belief and faith in God. If there is an empty house in front of you and I tell you that the house is owned by someone, although, you have not seen anyone in the house, will you not believe me? Yes, you will and this means you have faith in the law of nature. The law of nature says that every house built is owned by someone, even if not yet purchased, then in this case the builder or the bank owns the property. The same way we must believe and have faith in God.
What does it profit, my bretheren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food
And one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17
It is written, faith without works is dead. Pay close attention to what is being said. Let’s look at an example of how putting your faith to works operates.
If I show you a strange house with a vicious dog barking in it, but you cannot see the dog but can hear its aggressive barks, if I tell you to go into that house, for sure, you will say No.


This shows two things:
1. Although, you cannot see the dog but you can hear it bark means that you believe and have faith that there is a harmful animal in the house.
2. You have put your faith to works by rejecting to enter the house.
This can be likened to having faith in God and obeying his commandments. That is, the vicious dog can bite or harm us if we enter the house. The attack from the dog is compared to the consequences we will face for disobeying God’s commandments and principles.
Believing in God’s commandments is likened to believing that the house has a dog in it. That is, we cannot physically see God but we hear his word and commandments which should give us faith in God.
The same way you did not physically see the dog in the house but you heard its bark.
You not entering the house because you heard the dog’s barks is an act of putting your faith to work. That is, you know the dog is in the house but you cannot and did not see it. The same way you must put your faith to work by not seeing God physically but hearing his word and commandments and obeying them.

I am Jimi Akanbi. I am a Christian nonfiction author, who is sold out to God. I live in Atlanta, Georgia USA. I have an MBA in Finance from Mercer University, Atlanta Georgia. I am currently an active member of the prayer and intercessory team at my church. I have also served God as an usher and protocol officer at my previous church. I have undergone a formal ten week bible training course. My interests include writing, counseling, ministry, movies, sports, music and more. I was miraculously called by God to be in the writing ministry, and I am acting in obedience.

You can connect with Mr. Akanbi at the following locations:

Website

Twitter

Review: Finding the Baby Jesus (with Top Ten list and Giveaway)

Tour Schedule

Finding the Baby Jesus by Kimball Fisher

After being forced to wear lederhosen for the annual holiday card picture, twelve-year-old Chris thinks that the least his parents can do is get him the Tony Hawk skateboard he wants for Christmas. But when he recovers the hand-carved Baby Jesus that everyone thought had been destroyed in a fire the year his Grandma died, Chris realizes that some gifts are even more important than skateboards.

When the author had to discontinue a cherished tradition of reading Christmas stories out loud with his family and holiday guests each week in December, he wrote Finding the Baby Jesus. He had been unable to locate enough meaningful stories that could be read in a single sitting with wiggly children.


My thoughts: This was a very quick read and the author did a nice job of going from one extreme of Christmas in the eyes of the world to Christmas in the heart.  Even better was that it was a child who went through this transformation, whose motives were completely pure at the end.  If it had been an adult, you sometimes wonder if there were ulterior motives in his gestures.


The author was kind enough to share with me his ten favorite gifts to give (or receive).

My wife and I have a tradition of making gifts for Christmas. My ten favorite home-made gifts (for giving or getting) include:

1- Scrapbooks. Reenie does this for me nearly every year. (Because I beg for them! Honest. On my knees.) I love her scrapbooks not only for her photographic and display artistry, but for the visual memories of our life together over the year. Priceless.
2- Poems. A non-holiday tradition we have is that I leave her a pillownote (so-called because of where I tuck them in secret) whenever I go out of town. That happens a lot. As a result, once in a long while I gather the poems and assemble them into a book to present as a Christmas gift. Yikes! That reminds me that this particular gift is long overdue. I just counted and there are 203 scraps of paper with a poem on them that she has sandwiched into the last book I made eons ago.
3- Food. I crave my sweetie's yam and apple casserole. And her apple crisp. And there's this one strawberry jello thingy that has lemon pudding in it. WOW. Oh, and just about anything with whipped cream.
4- Pens. I started making writing pens several years ago after Reenie bought me a lathe. My favorite type of pen to make (the experts, BTW, say "turn" instead of "make") is a cigar style pen out of cocobolo or burled walnut.
5- Stained glass windows. I think the windows are her favorite Christmas gift, although she will neither confirm nor deny this. She always says: "I love everything you make for me!" I've done some smaller ones of flowers (I like irises in blue tones). I also did a big one of Mt. Hood near our home in Portland that ended up being a gift multiple times. I took the window apart and reworked the design until I liked it. I do that with my books, too. I've been rewriting FINDING THE BABY JESUS for the last three Christmas seasons. I finally felt it was done this year.
6- Time. I love it when she gives me something for us to do together. One year she gave us golf lessons. Another year--and I really loved this--she gave us fly fishing lessons in the Provo river in Midway, Utah. We have a cabin there. (Midway is where I decided to locate the FINDING story.)
7- Furniture. Honestly, on the years when I do this I usually only have part of the present completed and hidden under a quilt with a promise to finish it before the next Christmas. But I've made a TV cabinet, head board, coffee table, jewelry case and some other stuff I can't think of right now. In fact our whole making a present tradition started on our first Christmas together because of furniture. We were poor graduate students with a $15.00 Christmas budget. After we got a tree, there was only enough money left for an angel eraser and some Smarties candies. My Mom saved the holiday by helping me refinish an old family drop leaf table to give to my bride to use for our kitchen.
8- One special apron. The first gift my wife ever made me. It's blue with my name on it. It's pretty worn, but I'm keeping it forever.
9- A game. Part of our tradition is to get a game every Christmas that we play before the end of the day. Technically, we buy it instead of making it, but we make the time to play it. That's the fun part, right?
10- My favorite gift is love. There is something so warm and wonderful about just being with my sweetheart on Christmas. I set up her card table and watch her work on a new jigsaw puzzle each year. It's nice seeing her in front of the fire, doing something she really enjoys. Makes me feel good to think about it all year long.



I love the tradition of making gifts to give for Christmas.  A few years ago I talked my family into drawing names for Christmas with the idea that we each had to make something for the person whose name they drew.  This tradition lasted about two years and then I was the only one who wanted to continue to make gifts. . .  Of course, I am the only one in the family who loves to do crafts - needlepoint, knitting, crochet, quilting.  What the rest of the family didn't get was that I just enjoyed seeing the time they put into their projects and the thoughtfulness - not really looking for the finished project.  By the third year they were getting creative and "making" reservations for dinner or the older girls were "making" time to watch their little brother.  So sadly, this tradition has died out with us for now.


Praise for Finding the Baby Jesus:

“Tender and true, this warm Christmas tale brought tears to my eyes.”

–Heather Vogel Frederick, author of the much-beloved Mother-Daughter Book Club series and Oregon Book Award winner for The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed

“A touching story that speaks to the importance of family, giving, and the true spirit of Christmas.”

–Matthew Kirby, author of Icefall, winner of the Edgar Allen Poe and the Pen Center USA Literary Awards for Children’s Literature

“Deeply moving. Poignant.”

–Deborah Halverson, former editor at Harcourt Children’s Books and author of Honk If You Hate Me, a Gayle McCandliss Literary Award Winner

"The perfect little book to tuck away with your Christmas things and bring out year after year to read with family. As mother to three boys, I can't imagine a better protagonist than Chris. His typical teenage attitude followed by the softening of his heart towards a friend teaches a poignant and very relatable lesson on the true meaning of Christmas."

–Amazon review

"After I read this short story I felt like I had read a novel--every sentence is packed with action and imagery. I was emotionally connected to the characters, and the story is touching. I didn't see the plot twist at the end coming! A great story to read every Christmas."

–Amazon review

Purchase

Amazon * Smashwords

Author Kimball Fisher





Kimball Fisher writes novels for young readers. He is also a best-selling business author, professional speaker, and management consultant. Some of his past jobs include: sailboat builder, ghost writer (not as scary as it sounds), illustrator, and factory manager (more scary than it sounds). For fun he builds furniture, stained-glass windows, and writing pens.



He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities (with minors in English, Asian Studies, and Japanese), and a Master of Organizational Behavior degree from Brigham Young University. He and his amazing wife Reenie live in Portland, Oregon, where they have seen pheasants, coyotes, and a bobcat in their own backyard.

Links

Website * Facebook

Book Blast

Enter the $50 Book Blast

Tour Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/26/12



Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule: 

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/10/finding-baby-jesus-blog-tour.html

Book Blast: Destiny by Laura DeLuca

Buy the Book Tours is bringing you a Bookmark Blitz Tour for Destiny by Laura DeLuca. 

Tour Schedule:

December 12 

Melissa Keir- Sexy Between the Covers 
Pen of the Dreamer
Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews
StuckInBooks
YA Reviews and News
Sara In Bookland
Delighted Reader
Mom With A Kindle
Just One More Chapter

December 13

Oh, Chrys!
Paranormal Opinion
Books and Needlepoint
Book On A Wire
Oh, The Books You'll Read!
Geek Chic Books
The Rest Is Still Unwritten
Welcome to She Said He Said
Books, Books The Magical Fruit
Epic YA Reads

Gabriella is a witch. The problem is, she doesn't remember. She repressed the memories of her powers years ago when her mother was murdered. Now, the warlock who was responsible for her mother's death has set his sights on Gabriella. He is determined to use her fear to turn her to the dark side of magick…even if it kills her. Her mother's spirit is reaching out to warn her, but even that she pushes away. Desperate to save her daughter, the spirit finds a male witch–one that just happens to be in love with Gabriella. Darron is more than willing to help but the two young witches will have way more to battle than just an evil warlock. There are overbearing jocks and petty rich girls who get tempers flaring and often set Gabriella and Darron at odds.

There is more to the story than Gabriella and Darron could even imagine. There are terrible secrets to be revealed, battles to be waged, and lives will be lost. Only after Gabriella and Darron both come to terms with who they really are, and open themselves up to the true meaning of magick, can they have any hope of fulfilling their destiny.

Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

Please enjoy this excerpt from Destiny.

Her eyes scanned the room, from the pale blue sofa to the bloody dent in the wall. But she didn't need her eyes to know Darron was there. Her heart sensed his presence before her eyes saw him lying in a heap on the ground. His body shuddered with occasional spasms, and even though he wasn't fully conscious, his lips were twisted in a grimace of pain.

Uttering a gasp of surprise, Gabriella flew to his side. She knelt beside him, and choked back a sob as she took his hand in her own. She saw his chest rise and fall and was glad to know was alive, but she felt helpless as she watched his face contort in pain. She noticed something wet and sticky on her fingertips. She gently titled his head and saw a large gash that looked like it needed medical attention. The skin around the gash was so deeply bruised it looked almost black.

"Darron, what happened to you?"

He didn't move or reply. Gabriella moved her hand from the cut on his forehead, and her fingers dripped with blood. She bit her lower lip with fear. She knew enough about head injuries to know that the wound could be serious. She grabbed a few tissues from a box on the coffee table, and tried to apply pressure to the wound, but it was useless. The tissues were soaked through in seconds.

"Darron?" She squeezed his hand, and fought back tears of fear and frustration. "Darron, please open your eyes. Please be all right!"

He squirmed and groaned a little in response. Looking at his contorted features, Gabriella felt incompetent and useless. She didn't know what to do to help him. The cut must need stitches. The blood was gushing through her fingertips, and she was sure his life was slipping away just as quickly.

More than anything, Gabriella wanted to help Darron, to end his suffering. Her thoughts, her desperation, caused something deep inside of her to stir. Something that had long been napping was awoken. The power she had fought so hard to deny was forcing its way to the surface. This time she didn't struggle against that power. Her instinct to hide from it was finally overcome by the thought of losing someone else she cared about.

Gabriella was pulling strength and warmth from the earth, as though her legs were tree roots taking nourishment from the element. A tingling sensation began in the tips of her toes and spread slowly though her body as she breathed in the essence of the element of air. Her blood flowed and grew warm, the element of water, bringing the power to the surface. She was overcome by a vigorous strength as she envisioned her spirit encircled by the element of fire. She felt so powerful that she thought she could stop the world from churning if that was what she wished. Gabriella focused the power, remembering for a moment her mother's lessons. She looked down at her battered friend. She willed him to open his eyes and look at her. She demanded it of him.

Gabriella would have thought it was impossible, but she felt herself grow warmer. Her face dripped with perspiration. The power within her reached a climax. Then finally, when she thought she might burst, she felt the energy release. It seeped through her fingers, and shined with an illumination that only she could see. She heard herself chanting unfamiliar words, and scarcely recognized her own voice.

"By the power of earth, water, fire and air,
Heal this man who's in my care.
Goddess, hear your daughter's plea.
As I will it, so mote it be!"

Gabriella repeated the words three times. Three was the number of power. Then she watched as the wound on Darron's forehead healed before her eyes, becoming smaller and smaller, until finally it was gone. The blood was still warm and sticky, but beneath the blood, the skin was smooth and unmarred. Even the horrible bruise had vanished. Gabriella stared in open astonishment, marveling at the work she had done.

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan and Player.

You can connect with her at:
Website
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End of the World Giveaway Hop (Dec 14 - Dec 21)

End of the World Giveaway Hop

Dec 14 - Dec 21

Hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and My Life With Books

12/21/12 

The Mayan Calendar Ends!

Does it mean the end of the World? 

Probably not but just in case...

Which books would you save if the world was coming to an end?  

I am giving away a choice of one of the following Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic books -

You can choose between The Road by Cormac McCarthy and Wither by Lauren DeStefano.  I enjoyed both of these books very much!  Just fill out the rafflecopter form below and then hop on over to some other blogs before it is too late!  lol

a Rafflecopter giveaway