Louisiana Snowflake Excerpt #Nanowrimo

Last July, the writers worked on two Dime Store Novel stories. Neither one is quite finished, so they are back at it for the November Nanowrimo. 

Rachelle Reese is working on Louisiana Snowflake a story that takes place in 1905 and 1906. That time was one of the happiest times in my life. However, a dark peril faced New Orleans during that time and my best friend Dylan Worth's future was in jeopardy as 1906 began. 

Here's a short excerpt of what she wrote this weekend:

The creature on the throne just stared at her with unblinking eyes that flitted between her face and her growing belly. A deep throated noise rose from the creature, unintelligible except for one word – unborn.

“Jumbl-iya is pleased with your offering, Seth,” the vulture said. “Come forward and she will reward you.”

The panther slinked forward to the beast on the throne. Sue-Li took a slow step toward the door.

“Stay,” the vulture squealed and rose up, flapping its wings. It was behind her in an instant, its long talons pressing into her shoulders.

“You’re hurting me,” she said.

The talons dug deeper.

The panther sat on its haunches and extended a paw. The creature inserted a syringe under the panther’s fur and pressed the plunger. The panther slunk down to the floor and lay still for a moment.

“Retreat to your room while the pleasure is with you,” the vulture cawed. 

There's a lot going on in Louisiana Snowflake, so I hope you'll check back periodically through the month for little teasers. 

Don't forget, the Dime Store Novel series starts with Rips in the Weave. You can get Rips in the Weave FREE right now at the following retailers:

• Smashwords
• iTunes
• Kobo
• Barnes and Noble (Nook)

Regan Recommends - Coffin Hop

You might know me as a party girl...well that's because I am and I've done my share of chasing the dragon. But seriously kids...this is getting out of control. The Black Horse is worse than the dragon by a long shot. Stop dying already.

The authors have been working on the story of my parents. You see...my mother became addicted to heroin in 1905. All their research, plus some events that happened prompted Rachelle Reese to write Riding the Black Horse. It's not a Dime Store Novel, but she is sharing it for Coffin Hop and I think it's worth the read.

You know I talk to ghosts. You'd think I'd get enough of them, but I still like a good ghost story, so I'll be going on the Coffin Hop and I'll definitely check out Dust Bowl by K. F. Kirwin.

Rips in the Weave - According to Swampy

1897. That was a long dang time ago, back before me and Agatha decided to get hitched. Matter of fact, before I ever met the mother of all gators.

I knew Nymeria though. That nymph caused me nothin' but trouble, tryin' to get that new nymph Misha to see me nekkid. Bad enough seein' the two of them nekkid standin' there on my porch.

'Sides, apart from runnin' with Nymeria, Misha seemed like a nice sort. She liked my pigs and Boo and that's what matters.

I knows Agatha tole' you 'bout the happ'nins with Khrou-ach, but there's more to Rips in the Weave than just that old god war stuff. My friend Sassafras Cats has big problem with that sister of hers, Delilah. I never much liked Delilah. Grammy always tole me that clothes don't make a girl, it's what underneath the skin and Delilah's got nuttin' but pride underneath all them bustles and silks.

If you don't believe me, you can read it for yourself and you don't even have to pay a dime. You can get Rips in the Weave as a free ebook. You can download it for any ebook format from Smashwords. It is also available free on iTunes, Nook  and Kobo.

Rips in the Weave - Dime Store Novel begins

I am Agatha. Once I was a goddess who lived in a realm and created the creatures that now populate the swamplands.

Thousands of years ago, a dragon named Khrou-ach tried to take control of the realms. We gods banished him from taking a physical form. Since that time, he has existed as wind and electricity, occasionally summoning enough energy to wreak havoc on the world of the mortals by causing destructive storms.

I led the challenge against Khrou-ach and during one of his power surges, he was able to destroy the portal between the mortal world and my realm. I am earthbound. Once it bothered me, but it doesn't anymore. I have found my place here among the creatures I created and among those we can only assume were created by The Great One.

In 1897, Khrou-ach mustered enough strength to not only cause a destructive storm, but to entice Delilah Cats, a young girl with some talent for natural magic, but no common sense, to help him. The story of what happened is told in Rips in the Weave. It begins the story of how the weave between the realms begins to tear.

The authors have decided to offer Rips in the Weave as a free ebook. You can download it for any ebook format from Smashwords. It is also available free on iTunes and Kobo. It is available on the Nook for a penny.

I hope you'll take the time to read this tale of how the realms began to tear. It's far from over.

Hanover Fist - Fun at Camp #Nanowrimo

I don't know about the girls, but I've been having a blast at Camp Nanowrimo. On the first day, I got to show everyone how to play marbles. I even drug out my old marble collection to recount some stories. It was like being a kid again.

Yesterday was even more fun. Toledo and I played in the snow! I'm not joking you..there is snow in July at Camp Nano! I haven't heard Toledo laugh like that in decades. Of course, then I hit her smack in the head with a snowball, so she chased me down and threw one with all my strength. She hit me square between the shoulder blades. "That stung!"  I said.

"I meant it to," she said.

"Why?" I asked.

"After all these years, you have to ask?" She just grinned and walked away.

Before you know it, they were all throwing snowballs at me. Even Regan was balling them up and chucking them and every single one of the girls were laughing. "What did I do wrong?" I yelled.

And they all started yelling out silly things I didn't even remember doing. So I just started walking away, out of the range of their insults and snowballs. They don't gang up on me often, but when they do, I want no part of it. I went to the clubhouse and got myself a hot cocoa and splashed in a little of my medicine. That's good rum these days, no that I don't have to settle for hooch. I sat next to the campfire and waited for them to return from their frolic in the snow. They did soon enough. Not one of them apologized, of course, but they all came in and sat by the fire. Before long, the sun sank below the horizon and Regan started telling a ghost story. All was as it should be. I am loving Camp Nano!

The writers are working hard while we play. If you want to get a preliminary glimpse at some of the books they are writing this month, sign up for the Dream Dragon Press newsletter.

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Regan Rants - #Nanowrimo

I'm not big on camping. I mean I'm all for a party, but getting wet, cold, and dirty is just not my favorite thing to do. So when the writers invited us to go to Camp Nanowrimo, I wrinkled my nose and said "Seriously? Can't we go somewhere fun instead? Somewhere with posh restaurants and dance clubs?"

Of course, Hanover was all for the idea. He got out his fishing gear and started going on about how he and Swampy would do such and such, fishing and hunting and gigging. Gross. He and Toledo reminisced about when they were kids and took a camping trip down the Mississippi. Even Mary is excited. It seems she went camping with her family a few times and had memories of roasting hot dogs over the open fire and s'mores. They sound sticky to me. Besides, I have nothing to wear.

So anyway, I was all ready to just say no. But then they explained to me the main idea behind Camp Nanowrimo is stories. There won't be any struggling to build a camp fire while we shiver in the rain. And I won't have to eat s'mores if I don't want to. Instead, we'll have the writers' attention to tell more of our stories.

We'll stay up late in the moonlight and let our stories unfold. At the end of the month, there will be two new rough drafts. Going to Camp Nanowrimo will help us get our stories to you. So I'm on board. My bags are packed. It turns out I do have PJs and that's all I will need to sit around and tell my story by the moonlight.

I think the best thing of all is that the writers have agreed to share excerpts of our stories in the August newsletter. You can subscribe here.

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Dime Store Novel Announcements

Mary O'Malley

I'm sorry we've been silent the past through weeks. We have been working with the writers on some new stories -- more about those soon. We will also be selecting a winner for the Rainy Days Reading blog tour and sending out prizes soon.

Today I have two things I want to announce. 

First, you can read more about us and the Dime Store Novel world at the new Dream Dragon Press website. The website features many of the Dime Store Novel characters. The writers have some other things planned as well, so expect it to be changing frequently. They have asked us to move our blog to the website and we are discussing the move, so we'll let you know what we decided.

Second, Dream Dragon Press is starting a monthly newsletter. If you already signed up for the Dime Store Novel newsletter, you will be added to the list automatically and sent a link to the free story, The Canary's Silence by Rachelle Reese. It's a YA story, so it's a little tamer than some of the Dime Store Novel stories, but it's got adventure, intrigue, and romance, so if you're a Dime Store Novel fan, I think you'll like it. You can sign up for the newsletter here or on the Dream Dragon Press website.

Well, that's all the announcements for today. Stay tuned though. The next several months are likely to be pretty exciting in the Dime Store Novel world.

Let us know what you think about the changes.

Toledo Talks - Blood Moon and Thunderstorms

Toledo Cats

I know I shouldn't complain about rain in April. It is necessary for the plants to grow. However, I am glad we had a few dry days so I could plant my broccoli, cabbage, kale, and kohlrabi on Sunday. Thankfully, they are cold-hardy, so they won't be bothered by our frosty morning.

Khrou-ach and Sassafras battle

In honor of the rainy days of April, we are participating in the Rainy Day Reads blog hop. All you have to do is subscribe to our monthly newsletter and you will be entered to win a free signed paperback copy of Rips in the Weave and The Desert Rose. These novellas go together because they are both about how my Aunt Delilah drug my Mama into a battle with Khrou-ach, the God of Storms. Everyone who subscribes to the newsletter will also receive a free coupon for a Rips in the Weave ebook, plus a pdf pre-release chapter from our upcoming release Striking Angels as soon as it's ready for other eyes to see.

I'm also glad the skies cleared off last night so we could get a glimpse of the lunar eclipse and that beautiful blood moon. I think even Regan was impressed by the way Mars shone red to the upper right of it. Unfortunately, Hanover didn't set up his professional photography equipment, so we only have the snapshot Mary took to share with you.

Blood Moon - April 15th

I hope you got to see it for yourself. It was worth it, even though I'm a little groggy this morning.

Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to fill out the subscriber form to win your prize and visit all the other blogs on the hop. 

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Sunday Scramble - Angels in Hell's Kitchen

Mary O'Malley

Good morning, everyone. I hope you had a good week. We're in need of some decompression here in the Dime Store Novel world. Most of us have been hard at work getting ready for some exciting announcements. Regan, on the other hand, is convinced that Hanover pranked her on April Fool's Day. He denies it, but she won't leave it alone. So that hasn't helped one bit.

Here's the solution to last week's scramble. The quote is from From the Gator's Mouth, the urban fantasy novella that tells the story of Hanover Fists' birth.

She watched  his eyes widen as his boat moved back away from him. “Now children, it is not nice to play with your food,” Agatha giggled softly.

abto - boat
glegigd  - giggled
ildcenhr - children
odfo - food
lypa  - play
chwedat  - watched

This week's scramble is from Angels in Hell's Kitchen, the urban fantasy novella that begins my father's story. 


O'Malley watched the late night __________ dribbling in, their eyes half closed. As they caught sight of O’Malley in the __________   shirt, their eyes __________. Most __________, but one __________ his eyes with worry.


buel 

kedkworrsoc 

ilsmed

asedcre

enedwid

Solve the scramble by filling out the form and receive a coupon for Angels in Hell's Kitchen. Any ebook format is available.

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Toledo Talks - Companion Gardening

Nothing says springtime like gardening. I didn't start any seeds this year, so today I visited our local nursery and bought my winter-hardy vegetable plants -- kale, broccoli, chard, cabbage, and kohlrabi. I love fresh greens, so I tend to plant a lot of them. My plan was to go home and plant them before dinner.

Unfortunately, before I got home, it started to rain. So my planting plans were put on hold. Instead, I sat down and sketched out some rough plans of where I'd plant this year. Choosing the right companion groupings is important, not only for natural pest control, but also because some plants affect the flavor of other plants. For example, planting kohlrabi stunts the growth of tomato plants. Tomatoes stunt the growth of carrots. Basil makes tomatoes taste better -- as if most tomatoes don't taste good enough on their own.

It's a big puzzle and I should have asked Hanover to help me with it. He loves puzzles. But he was busy calming Regan down about some foolish monkey thing he did to her. I'm sure she'll fill you in on all that later. So here is the plan I came up with. It's not perfect and I'm sure I'll modify it some as I start planting. It also doesn't show the herbs and flowers. I like to intermingle them with the vegetables in a more natural way. There is nothing like the smell of fresh basil to perk you up when you're weeding the tomatoes or checking the squash for squash bug eggs.

Are you planting a garden this year? I'd love to hear what you do to help it thrive.

Here's some more information about companion gardening.
Golden Harvest Organics
An In-Depth Companion Planting Guide

Sunday Scramble - From the Gator's Mouth

Happy Sunday (albeit a bit late in the day). Sorry...the sun is out and I had things to take care of this morning. I have a feeling something strange is going to be taking place soon. Hanover's been on edge for over a week -- something to do with Regan and some silly monkey. I guess we'll know soon enough. Until then it's just business as usual.




Here's the solution to last week's scramble:

A whorl of white and silver fell across her forehead and she let it hang there. “Yes, but no. We could give his soul a fairy body, or even a goblin’s, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. He’s lived a mortal life. I think he’d miss it."

irfay - fairy
sulo -soul
rlmtao  - mortal
horwl  - whorl
erilvs  -silver
dorehefa - forehead

This week's scramble is a quote from From the Gator's Mouth, the book that tells the story of how Hanover Fist was born.

She ____________ his eyes widen as his __________ moved back away from him. “Now __________, it is not nice to __________ with your __________,” Agatha __________ softly.


abto
glegigd 
ildcenhr
odfo
lypa 
chwedat 

Solve the scramble by filling out the form and receive a coupon for From the Gator's Mouth. Any ebook format is available.

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Regan Rants - L'Wren Scott RIP

Regan Worth

You know what I hate? I hate when I wake up in the afternoon and find out someone I really admire has gone to another realm and can't come back. Case in point - L'Wren Scott. 

Now I don't stick with specific designers and I never have. But some of her fashions were brilliant. take this dress, for example. I would look stupendous in this dress. Not that I ever wore it....or had anywhere to wear it to, or the figure to wear it, but it is fab. Look at how the neckline plunges and accentuates the hips.  It's a dress a girl can really show off. Sure, so Toledo's curves would fit this dress better than mine -- but it would look okay on me too.

This dress, on the other hand, is so Mary O'Malley. I mean, it is seriously spinster-librarian, with the bow in front and the cute little white collar. You couldn't even wear lipstick with that dress *whispers* and Mary doesn't wear lipstick...not a dash. 

So yes, this dress is perfect for my friend Mary. I wouldn't wear it in a million years, but Mary would feel right at home in it. The black would offset her red hair too...although she rarely wears black. She seems to prefer pale colors. Wrong...just totally wrong for her complexion.

Now this dress, on the other hand, is totally me. It fits my slender shape...so curves are not my strongest point. And I have always loved beads and a bit of jagged -- fringe -- whatever. I don't like the straight-laced stuff. Give me a little zip...a little zag.. a little edge. This is a dress I could totally see myself wearing when I'm having a good time and showing just enough leg to be mysterious.

You were a talented lady, L'Wren Scott. You were young and beautiful and you understood the shape of a woman -- all of us. You had a spark for designing something for every personality. The world will miss your talent. Rest in Peace, brilliant lady. 

Toledo Talks - Working the Soil

Toledo Cats

Maybe the snow still covers the ground in some places, but down here in New Orleans, I can smell the soil. It calls me and makes me want to dig my hands into it and feel the worms squirm out from between my fingers. My family has always worked the soil.

Mama kept a garden, even after we moved to town. Each spring, I helped her plant herbs and flowers. She would tell me their purpose. Mama barely ever planted anything without a purpose. It's how she grew up. Of course, Mama could always find a purpose for just about any plant. Why would the Great Mother have put them here with no purpose?

Yes, I smell Mama in the springtime. But I also smell my Uncle Jesse. While Mama planted small gardens with her hands, Jesse planted fields of sugar cane. He would work all morning and come in for dinner around noon, glistening with sweat and grinning ear to ear. "The ground's good this year," he'd say. "We're gonna get ourselves a good crop of cane sugar." His eyes would glisten and by the time I was older, I knew cane sugar meant rum and rum meant sales...especially to Grumwald. But when I was younger, I was content to sneak into the fields and listen to him sing. Jesse's voice was so deep and wonderful. It transported me to other worlds...worlds I had not been to and neither had he....worlds he had learned of from the stories told by his father...my grandfather...who I never met.

Sunday Scramble - The Desert Rose + All Things Irish Blog Hop

Welcome to the Sunday Scramble! This week, we're happy to be part of the Leaping Leprechauns and Frolicking Fairies: All Things Irish blog tour. Thank you to Candace's Book Blog and Gin's Book Notes for hosting this blog hop.

Last week's scramble was from High Rollers, which is on sale for $1.99 until midnight tonight Mountain Time. Here's the solution:

As Regan stepped into the casino, the first thing she saw was her own reflection smiling from jagged mirror shards arranged haphazardly to look like stalactites. 

ardhazlyhap - haphazardly
niligsm - smiling
romirr - mirror
lacstaestit - stalactites
sincao - casino

This week's scramble is from The Desert Rose, the sequel to Rips in the Weave. Hint: You can get a still get a free copy of Rips in the Weave by visiting Toledo's post below and filling out the form.

In keeping with the theme of the blog hop, this quote is about fairies. That's a hint.


A __________ of white and __________ fell across her __________ and she let it hang there. “Yes, but no. We could give his __________ a __________ body, or even a goblin’s, but that wouldn’t be fair to him. He’s lived a ____________ life. I think he’d miss it."

irfay 
sulo 
rlmtao 
horwl 
erilvs 
dorehefa 

Good luck!

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Toledo Talks - A Fairy Garden

Toledo Cats

This week, in honor of springtime, I decided to talk about gardening. I've been gardening since I was a little girl. My first garden was a fairy garden. It was mostly a rock garden beneath Mama's magnolia tree. I'd sing to my dolls and every so often a fairy or two would stop by to listen. Whiskey Joe suggested I grow heather, and so I did. I planted purple heather the first year. When it's blooms reached toward the sky, Whiskey Joe taught me how to step through so I could visit the fairies myself.

Heather photo (Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens)

I later added other colors to the mix. The fairies liked to visit the heather too. For years, I visited the fairies and they visited me. I didn't realize until I was older that they could be treacherous -- that they could steal the souls of infants.

I learned a lot about them later, both good and bad. I learned that like people, they were capable of hatred, greed, and love. At the time Whiskey Joe taught me how to pass through the heather, I had no idea he was a fairy himself. It was only after I thought he had died that I found him in the fairy realm, making music just like he had on the New Orleans streets. That story appears in Mind of a Mad Man.

Later Whiskey Joe told me the real story. How he'd fallen in love and decided it was time to go back to the realm where he belonged. He wrote a song about the day he met the woman he loved. He's agreed to sing it to us.

I am celebrating spring this week by participating in the Leaping Leprechaun blog hop and planting some potatoes and onions -- maybe a few other things, depending on the weather. Are you planning to do some gardening?  Have you ever planted a fairy garden?

Leave a comment with your email and I'll send you a coupon for a free copy of Rips in the Weave -- the story where all the trouble in the realms began. There are a few fairies in Rips in the Weave, but there are definitely goblins.

And don't forget, High Rollers is on sale for $1.99 through Saturday March 23rd. Get your copy today if you haven't. 

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the blog hop.

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Never Disturb a Fairy Ring

Duncan O'Malley

Thanks to my best friend's daughter, Regan Worth, I'm here this St. Paddy's Day to share a warning with you all about the dangers of fairy rings. I felt it only right to pass on the warning I gave my daughter...the same warning my mother gave me, albeit most likely too late. Now some will tell you that a fairy ring is just a fungus that ruins the lawn. Gardening folk will tell you to dig them up and destroy the ring. I will tell you different. Leave them be.

It was a spring day and I was still a lad, living on my parents' farm in Ireland. I was a light-hearted boy and I loved to explore the bog. That's where I saw my first dead body, but that's a story for another day. The day I learned of fairy rings was a rare sunny one. I followed my mother  down to the bog when she went to fetch the butter. I was a wee lad, maybe three or four.

I skipped along beside her, singing:

O-ro the rattlin' bog, 
The bog down in the valley-o
O-ro the rattlin' bog, 
The bog down in the valley-o

I was young enough that I couldn't remember the order of all the things you see -- tree, limb, branch, twig, nest, egg, bird, feather, flea -- so Mum sang along with me. We were on the verse about the bird in the egg when she stopped singing.

"Don't you do that, son."

"What, Mum?" I asked. I saw she'd grown pale and was staring at the ground.

"See those mushrooms?"

"Sure I do. Can we pick some?" I loved mushrooms, even then.

"Not those mushrooms. Those belong to the fairies. If you disturb them, they'll come after you."

I stared at the nearly perfect circle of mushrooms -- perfect except for where I'd kicked one away. It lay there broken and sad. "Do you think they saw me?" I asked.

"Let's hope not." Her voice was stern. She took me by the hand and led me to the bog. "Let's tiptoe the rest of the way so we don't wake them."

And so we did. It might have been that night the nightmares started...or sometime soon after. They have never left me, only changed as time went on. I was still a mostly carefree lad and I never saw a fairy in the bog, but I have to wonder sometimes if they didn't see me kick that mushroom. How else can I account for the bad luck I've had and the things I've seen?  Not that it was all bad. I wouldn't trade my luck in finding Maggie Bloom for all the pots of gold in the universe.

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, my daughter Mary has asked me to give away copies of Angels in Hell's Kitchen, the story about the first day I met Mary's mum. All you need to do is fill out the form.

I also need to tell you that High Rollers is only 99 cents today through Wednesday. That's a 66% discount from its regular $2.99. By the time High Rollers happened, I had gone on from the physical realm, but I think you'll like the story anyway. Many of the people I loved through life are in it.

Well, I guess I'm off. Thank you Regan for helping me tell my story. I hope a lot of people buy your story this week. It's a great price for a fun tale. Of course, I wish I had been there to help solve the crime, but a ghost can't be everywhere.

Enjoy the rest of the blog hop.I'm sure you will -- It's All Things Irish, so who wouldn't?

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Sunday Scramble - High Rollers

Unfortunately, we did not have a winner for last week's scramble. 

The answer to last week's scramble is:

A few memories leaked out. She let them rest beneath the turtle’s belly. He’d have to grow before he could swallow all her secrets.




ethenba - beneath
osmrieem - memories
lyelb - belly
setsecr - secrets
alswwlo - swallo

This week's scramble is from High Rollers, which is on sale starting tomorrow on Amazon. It's a countdown sale, so get your Kindle edition early.

Monday March 17th -Wednesday March 19th - 99 cents
Thursday March 20th - Saturday March 23rd - $1.99

On Sunday March 24, the price goes back to its normal $2.99.

Of course, if you're the first to solve the scramble, you won't need to buy it because we'll send you a free copy.





Here's the scramble.

As Regan stepped into the ___________ , the first thing she saw was her own reflection ____________ from jagged ____________ shards arranged _________________ to look like ______________. 

ardhazlyhap 
niligsm 
romirr 
lacstaestit
sincao

Oh and there is more news this week. We will be participating in the Leaping Leprehchauns & Frolicking Fairies blog hop. With a little help from Regan, I've invited my father, Duncan O'Malley back from the dead to talk about his encounter with the little people. He'll tell his story tomorrow and will give away an ebook coupon for Angels in Hell's Kitchen to whoever comments. Then on Thursday, Toledo Cats will talk about the fairies she's encountered and share a story about Whiskey Joe, She'll be giving away ebook coupons for Rips in the Weave to anyone who comments on her post.