LADY ENIGMATIC

When I envisioned Lady Enigmatic – this is how I saw her, not as a vampire but as a badass capable of riding a polar bear and leading an army. For some reason, all my alter egos have dark hair. 

To help introduce Lady Enigmatic to you, I've asked her to sit for an interview – not something she enjoys, but if presenting herself to the public will help her win The Joust, she's willing to play along.

Kate Beckinsale in Underworld Rise of the Lycans

You're a warrior, why do you love solving mysteries.

         I don't like secrets, and yet everyone has one, some minor but some deadly. I've always had the ability to sense a lie. It's aided me well in negotiations, but even better, during interrogations of the murderers I haul in.  

So, if I said, you don't have a snowballs chance in hell of winning The Joust, would that be a lie or the truth.

         Neither, it is your opinion. I am quite capable of winning The Joust on skill alone, but I may fail, as I am an unknown, from an unknown land. What will be will be, my fate is in the hands of the populace.

How did you get started telling tales of murder and mystery?

         Ever since I was a squire, on long excursions, we'd sit around the fire and exchange tales. I share stories of the beasts that hide in the shadows and covet our comforts.

Do you really have a pet dragon?

         You question the possibility.

(I thought she might slay me right there?) I … well, it's just that I've never seen a real dragon, I stuttered.

Then it is good I left him at home. I feared one of the Knights might make it their quest to defeat Maximillian. He is undefeated.

Undefeated? He fights – whom?

         He leads an army of Dragon Warriors, against the Abominable Ice Creatures in the Northland.

I see. (I didn't, not really, but I wasn't going to argue. She has the sharpest sword. I was going to ask her about the rumor of her being a cutpurse, a thief, but didn't want her to react and ask questions later. I'd also heard the other Knights started the rumor. Field competition?)

My last question – I understand you ride polar bears to practice for The Joust.

         Of course, they perform better on the ice and snow, but my horse is also trained well for the games here.

I shook her hand. Thank you for agreeing to an interview. I wish you all success today, and all week as the games continue.

         She bowed and strode away.

Gosh if only I could be a warrior with a pet dragon. Dream on Renee. Dream on.

Riddle Me This ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Unicorn Hunt ~ Who Roams Here? ~ Beware the Vortex ~ VelociRaffle ~ The Hero’s Dilemma ~Stockade Brigade ~ Hall of Doors ~ The Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke

I'll be fighting it out as

Lady Enigmatic in The Joust hosted M. Pax

I hope you'll come along and cheer me on!

My Joust is today, but you can cheer me on all week.

Please mention Lady Enigmatic today and every day

to help her win The Joust

and earn a chance to win your own prize!

The magic words are:

Lady Enigmatic

Murder

Cutpurse (means thief)

Lady Enigmatic earn points when you use these magic words to cheer her on in your comments on the Joust page, and you're placed into a drawing to win a prize that day.

Such as!

Lady Enigmatic has an incredible story about a cutpurse involved in murder.

or

Lady Enigmatic solves murder mysteries, but she'll quickly play the cutpurse to win this Joust.

or

Lady Enigmatic is rumored to have been a former Cutpurse and may have committed murder.

Just copy and paste!

All commenters on this page, and who use these magic words on the Joust Page will be entered into a drawing to win a

$5 Amazon gift card.

Winners will be announced before midnight each day until the Joust is over.

There's a new winner every day!

Right here on my blog too!

The more times you comment using the magic words, the more entries you'll have!

Also, M Pax is giving away prizes too!


The Winner of the $5 Amazon Gift Card 
& and eBook copy of both Murder Mysteries

Murder, Madness & Love
and
Memories of Murder

for Monday is

Sia McKye

And for Tuesday is

Pat Hatt

CONGRATULATIONS!

Comment and you could win today!

(All gift cards will be issued after the Faire)

Murder, Madness & Love

 for .99 cents

in honor of 

THE JOUST

TAKING OVER THE WORLD

Welcome to another awesome Monday! 

Today, I am hosting L G Keltner's cover reveal for her upcoming release 

HOW I LEARNED TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD THROUGH TOLERATING MY FAMILY. 

A novella to be released on 

December 1, 2015 

Just in time for Christmas!

Blurb:

Dani Finklemeier has decided to write a self-help book about how to take over the world, but she’s not sure where to start.  After all, she’s only seventeen and looking for a better way to make money than babysitting.  She buys a self-help book that promises to teach her how to write a self-help book in the hope of getting the job done.

Not that it’ll be easy to get any work done this holiday season.  Her family is staying at the house for Christmas, and fights break out almost immediately.  Dani also has to deal with the fallout from an unexpected kiss with her best friend Seth and the feelings that go along with it.  On edge around her family and unsure how to interact with the one person she’s trusted with everything in the past, she can only take what inspiration she can from the crazy circumstances surrounding her and see what happens.

One way or another, it should be an interesting holiday.

Bio:

L.G. Keltner spends most of her time trying to write while also cleaning up after her crazy but wonderful kids and hanging out with her husband.  Her favorite genre of all time is science fiction, and she’s been trying to write novels since the age of six.  Needless to say, those earliest attempts weren’t all that good. 

Her non-writing hobbies include astronomy and playing Trivial Pursuit.

You can typically find L.G. lurking around her blog, on Twitter, or on her Facebook page.

Title: Self-Help 101 or: How I Learned to Take Over the World Through Tolerating My Family

Author: L.G. Keltner

Genre: Holiday/Humor

Length: 27,000

Cover Art: L.G. Keltner

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon

Amazon UK

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Add it onGoodreads

*****************************************

I hope you're all ready for the M. Pax's annual

REALMS FAIRE

Today is the first day!

Riddle Me This ~ Dueling Bards ~ Phasers ~ Unicorn Hunt ~ Who Roams Here? ~ Beware the Vortex ~ VelociRaffle ~ The Hero’s Dilemma ~Stockade Brigade ~ Hall of Doors ~ The Joust ~ Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke

I'll be fighting it out as

Lady Enigmatic in The Joust hosted M. Pax

I hope you'll come along and cheer me on!
Even though my Joust isn't until tomorrow
Please mention me today, and everyday 
to help me win The Joust
and earn a chance to win your own prize!

My magic words are:

Lady Enigmatic

Murder

Cutpurse (means thief) 

I earn points when you use these magic words 

to cheer me on in your comments on the Joust page and you're placed in a drawing to win a prize that day.

Such as!

Lady Enigmatic has an amazing story about a cutpurse involved in murder.

or

Lady Enigmatic solves murder mysteries but she'll easily play the cutpurse to win this Joust.

or

Lady Enigmatic is rumored to have been a former Cutpurse and may have committed murder.

Just copy and paste!

All commenters on this page, and who use these magic words on the Joust Page will be entered into a drawing to win a

$5 Amazon gift card.

Winners will be announced at midnight each day until the Joust is over. 

There's a new winner every day! 

Right here on my blog too!

The more times you comment using the magic words the more entries you'll have!

Plus, M Pax is giving away prizes too!

Hosted by MPax. 

Prizes for the winning knight. 

Prizes drawn daily for the crowd.

Up to 10 knights can joust. Each will battle daily. Magic words will be granted to each knight to pass out to their adoring fans. Knights score points by commenters using their magic words. Knight with the most points at the end of the week wins. What does the knight win? A year of promo on my blog in the slider and a tumbler printed with your championship boasts and badge (SEE HERE).

Winners are drawn daily from the adoring crowds.

Each cheerer may cheer 3x a day!
Each time they cheer, they'll be put into the daily drawing for prizes.
Both on M Pax's Joust page - and here !

Please check it out!

&

From November 9 - 16 & in honor of 

Lady Enigmatic - Yolanda Renee's

 crime thriller mystery Murder, Madness and

 Love is on ‪sale‬ for ‪99 Cents‬!

---

Murder, Madness and Love

Sunlight blazes on an empty canvas.

Arctic winds gather snowflakes on a frosty window ledge as a statuesque form appears. She moves past a table littered with papers. Headlines splash news of murder, but it’s the photo of another young woman with features mirroring her own that draws her attention.

A different headline peeks from underneath the Anchorage Times.

Wealthy Businessman Dies in Car Crash … BLACK WIDOW SUSPECTED!

Graphic images swirl through her head and a tear rolls down her cheek. She drifts toward an easel and a trembling hand dips a sable brush into a palette of paint.

The Westminster doorbell chimes. The brush slips and blood-red paint stains the floor.

Detective Steven Quaid waits. His Tlingit, Indian features carved from granite, mask his Irish passion …

Will he arrest her this time?

All fingers point to her guilt.

But, is she guilty of this cunning plot? Or just a victim of circumstantial evidence?

The door opens …

His eyes lock on hers …

His heart races …

Hers skips a beat.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

And even more exciting news via:

Katie Hamstead Teller

called

The Winner of the $5 Amazon Gift Card & an eBook copy of both Murder Mysteries
Murder, Madness & Love 
and 
Memories of Murder

for Monday is

Sia McKye

CONGRATULATIONS!

(All gift cards will be issued after the Faire)

NATURE'S SOLUTION™

This is a Friday Fictioneers Flash Fiction Challenge. Hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields  and all based off a photo. This weeks prompt is provided by and copyright to Connie Gayer.

Rochelle requires participants, in 100 words or less write about the picture provided. You can read this week’s stories by clicking on the Blue Links and the Blue Frog.

Friday Fictioneers

NATURE'S SOLUTION™

The sand held hints of the lives lost, strands of wire, coins, and jewels buried deep. Treasure hunters with metal detectors crisscrossed the beach for days. The land was devoid of its former glory. The city was gone, and its entire population too.

         A breezy summer morning determined to be a hot blistering day had turned apocalyptic. A rogue wave forty stories high hit the coast. In the blink of an eye, the resort disappeared. Mom and Dad had planned their retirement for years but barely had the chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor before nature heartlessly rebelled.

100 words

Yolanda Renée © 2015

*****

*****

8 our of 9 of my stories 

were just accepted for publication in

~ espresso stories ~tales you can swallow in a single gulp

25 Word Micro Flash Fiction Tales

'Adventure Leaves No Room for Love'

'Don't Bother Me'

'Hell Hath no Fury . . .'

'Nothing Will Stop Me Now'

'Dinner's Ready'

'Don't Break The Eggs'

'Remember Your Vow'

'The Cost of Freedom'

Please consider reading and voting for my stories.

Thank you!

IWSG - WHERE'S DINNER?

Time for the meeting of the

Insecure Writers with Alex J. Cavanaugh. 

His awesome co-hosts are Stephen Tremp, Karen Walker, Denise Covey, and Tyrean Martinson! 

     Insecurity is a constant thing, something I can banish to the background temporarily, but never really get rid of. I think, and I'm guessing here, that most writers/creative people feel that way. If you don't, then you aren't reading this post because you'd see no reason to belong to the IWSG. J

     Yet, despite all my insecurities, I'm still participating in the NaNoWriMo. This is my fifth time and regardless of a win or not, I've actually felt like a winner each time I've participated. The opportunity to write and have an entire communities support is priceless. In the real world, it's a very different story.

     I love it – you say you're doing NaNo and the world allows you to skip out on other responsibilities, at least the online world does. In the real world, say you're doing NaNo and they look at you as if you've lost your mind.

In my house, it goes something like this:

"What's a NaNo?" Even though it's my 5th year, the same question.

"You're going to write, you do that every damn day now. Husband's snide smile follows.

"Hey Mom, where's dinner?" 30 days out of the 30.

"Mom, all my shirts are dirty." Laundry, it may get done (this I don't promise) but it won't be put away. Notice the living room chair it is now a mountain of stacked clean, folded clothes.

"Mom, where are the spoons?" Dishes stacked up in the sink. Silverware disappears first even though they see the mess in the sink, they all ignore it.

"Pizza, again. I love NaNo!" says a grateful son. Dinner I don't have to cook and they appreciate.

"If you cook Thanksgiving dinner, we'll do the shopping." 

Who can pass up a request like that? I try to have NaNo finished before this, but it's not always possible. Besides, if you stick to the rule of not going back and doing any editing, this is the best time to do that – as long as you've reached the 50,000 that is.

My Goal is:

November 30^th – Book 4 – DARK MOTIVES is complete, well, the first draft is.

(a quickly created cover for NaNo)

Sometimes Dark Motives arise from the best of intentions.

I'm looking forward to this celebration!

Wishing you all a very successful NaNoWriMo!

and/or

the ability to push those insecurities to the background for a very, very long time!

Is eternity too much to ask?

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo?

Does your family understand and offer support or are they like mine and suddenly become even more needy?

*****

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's

 possible; and suddenly you are doing the 

impossible.

Francis of Assisi 

*****

I just learned that 8 of my 9 submissions to 
~ espresso stories ~
tales you can swallow in a single gulp

were accepted for publication. Please drop in and give them a read and a vote. 
I'd love to see them climb the charts!
Such awesome news.
These are micro-flashes of 25 words or less.
Can you tell a story in 25 words, give it a try, it's a blast!
Let me know your favorite.

'Adventure Leaves No Room for Love'

'Don't Bother Me'

'Hell Hath no Fury . . .'

'Nothing Will Stop Me Now'

'Dinner's Ready'

'Don't Break The Eggs'

'Remember Your Vow'

'The Cost of Freedom'

Don't Break the Eggs
is mine.

FALLING OFF THE EDGE

This is a unique flash fiction challenge where Barbara W. Beacham provides a new photo each week, and the first sentence of a story. Our challenge is to finish the story using 100-150 words, not including the sentence provided. Don’t forget to use the opening sentence… The challenge runs from Monday to Sunday! Get creative and finish the story!

Include the photo with your flash and a link back to Barbara's post. Do not forget to click on the blue frog and add your link so that others can enjoy your story too! Now have some fun!

MONDAY'S FINISH THE STORY

FALLING OFF THE EDGE

“She lived a life that some would describe as being on edge.”

Those buffalo nickels were all she had of Jason's. He'd promised to return, but his last deployment to Afghanistan meant she'd never hold him in her arms again.

Teri undertook each adventure they'd vowed to do together. No matter how high the mountain, how hot the desert or how deep the sea, Teri felt no satisfaction or joy.

Then a drunk driver broadsided her car. Before the paramedics arrived, Jason walked out of the mist.

"It's time Teri, are you ready?"

"Will we be together forever?"

He took her hand and they walked away from a crash with no survivors.

100 words

Yolanda Renée © 2015

~~~~~

Link via the blue frog!

This November I'm doing NaNoWriMo. 

If you want to connect 

click here --> Yolanda Renée

THE BEGINNING - NANO

This November I'm doing NaNoWriMo. 

If you want to connect 

click here --> Yolanda Renée

I'm working on my WIP - Dark Motives!

I'll still be blogging just not

as frequently as the last few months.

 I'll also be participating in the
Realms Faire Joust with M Pax 
as Lady Enigmatic.

Join the fun November 9 - 13, 2015

 I do hope you'll cheer me on!

The Halloween post winner 
where an excerpt from 
The Snowman
STONE'S MASTERPIECE
was shared
Stone's Masterpiece also made
THE HORROR PRESS
how awesome is that?

but the winner of the day is

Debbie D.

Via Random.org

their number was 5


CONGRATULATIONS DEBBIE!

I'll be sending you a copy of

Murder, Madness & Love
&
Memories of Murder

This is my inspiration for the 79 Word Challenge.
I understand today's post is the last post for this 
Challenge. I'm sad to see it end but thrilled that I made the last posting.
My piece is called

ANNIHILATION



Happy Nano - ing!