Friday, October 28, 2011

Happy Halloween!

I would like to wish everyone a safe & Happy Halloween weekend! And to let you know that I am participating in the Halloween Hop, so graciously hosted by Jeremy Bates
So come on over & find some new friends & some fantastic blogs to hop!
And you can find Jeremy's blog HERE

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Muse

Lily opened the dishwasher and began putting the dishes away. The flashbacks started, and she stood motionless for a moment, thinking about Calum. She shook herself from the memory and picked up an earthenware coffee cup and held it to her face, it was still warm. But she couldn't fight it; she closed her eyes and fondly recalled the way he used to come up behind her when she was working in the kitchen. He would pull her back against him, turn her around and kiss her passionately, making her forget all about whatever mundane task she had been toiling away at – those were the days – but they were over; they had been for some time now, and it was all her own fault. That was a bracing thought that brought her back to reality.

She set the cup down and lifted out the plates one by one and stacked them gently on the counter. Her fond memories were from the days when she was a writer. She had always had a gift; a magical gift. She could write scenarios and people into her life– make them real. In fact, she had created Calum; and then he had become her muse. All she had to do was type a scene, or write a few words in her notebook or journal and he would come to her, stories creating themselves. She wrote pages and pages without pause; because he set her free. He released her from the shackles of her humdrum existence, and then, over time, he became so much more. He was her inspiration, and her best friend, and then he became her lover.

He always knew exactly what she wanted, and when she wanted it. He adored her. He was romantic; he brought her flowers, and wrote her poetry. He danced with her in the moonlight. They drank wine together and watched sunsets. He kissed her softly, and held her hand. He fed her strawberries and cream, and stroked her hair as he held her on cold rainy nights. He made love to her for hours upon end, as if no one else had ever existed or ever would.

She leaned against the counter and closed her eyes again. She used to be able to summon him into existence with only a thought; and he would appear like a demon hungry to possess her soul. He would enter her mind, taking over her thoughts and then the words would just pour out from her; Calum holding her face, kissing her lips and then her neck. Calum pressing her against the cabinets, then lifting her up onto the counter top. His hands pushing up her skirt, and wandering all over her body as he kissed her mouth, slowly and hotly, seemingly for hours.
But not anymore.

The ideas had just stopped. She no longer wrote fascinating scenarios, with romantic characters that came to life and entertained her. It had all ended with the last journal entry she had written almost six months ago. Maybe because she had created a new character, James; a young handsome man with romantic interests all his own; and apparently, Calum hadn't liked it. It wasn't even a love story, it was just a few lines of free verse inspired by a dream she'd had, and Calum hadn't been back since.

She sighed and opened the cabinet to set the plates inside. She wanted to feel his hands around her waist again. She closed her eyes and tried to get the words right, but they would not come. She could picture him, and she could still feel his hands hot and wanting upon her skin, but the story wouldn't flow. It was the worst case of writer's block she had ever had. She had lost her muse. She was useless without him, and she had to have him back; today – right now. She went to her bedroom, frantically searching for the journal. It had been months since she'd had it, where had she put it?

After tearing her room asunder, she found it in the corner under a stack of overdue library books. She hastily flipped to the last entry and read the first couple of lines:

James, my love...I remember the pouring rain, drenching us both as we kissed for the first time; Standing together on the white sand, the vast expanse of the great blue ocean, stretched out before us in witness to our profession of love...

She ripped out the page and tore it to shreds. Little pieces of confetti now covering her floor, she closed her eyes once more, and concentrated. Nothing happened. She waited; and then she whispered his name. Another minute passed, and then she felt it; Calum's hot breath on the back of her neck, his hands around her waist. She kept her eyes closed as he spun her around, his mouth immediately upon hers. Her muse was back. Now she could write again.

©2011 Garden Summerland

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

An Interview & Giveaway!!

If you haven't gotten a copy of my e-books~ now is your chance to win both of them! Check out my interview with All Things Books, then leave a comment on that blog right after my interview, and you will be entered for a chance to win Volume I and Volume II of Flash Fiction Addiction!!
Tell your friends!  Great opportunity to get FREE flash fiction, and show some Indie support!
CLICK HERE

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Insecurity

Lorna lay awake for a long time staring at the ceiling of her bedroom; all the tiny stars Chris had painstakingly painted there, glowing in the dark. It was still very early, the sun was barely on the horizon, a faint glow against the window. She had been awakened by a horrible nightmare; Chris had sent her a text telling her he was getting married, that he was engaged. Engaged to Rachael. She had thrown herself on the ground in the garden, where she curled into the fetal position and sobbed for hours. She awakened herself as she cried out. This nightmare had already happened. Just a few years ago. That's when she had married Jack, and a real nightmare had begun. But she was free of him now, and Rachael had gone away. So why the nightmares? Why now? She and Chris were so happy. Or at least, she thought they were.

She rolled over and stared at him; her beautiful Chris. They were finally together. It had been such a long time coming; for so many years they were just friends.... and then that fateful day, a first kiss at the mall; at Christmas. And now they had been together for almost three years.

So why should she dream about Rachael now? That had been so long ago. As had Jack. Lorna had put them both behind her. She had the man of her dreams, and the perfect daughter, Maeve.
But she had been plagued with bad dreams for weeks now. The fear of losing Chris chipping away at her psyche day after day. She remembered the times when all she had dreamt about was spending hour upon hour in Chris's arms and now it was the reality she lived every day, and yet her insecurity was eating her alive. She was going to have to get a grip, or drive herself mad. And she had far too much to lose to ever let that happen. She snuggled into Chris's chest and her fears began to fade; all it ever took was one touch from his hand and she was immediately blissfully content. In just a few moments, she drifted off to sleep again.

A young handsome man stood in front of a huge gate that opened up to a massive gravel driveway, lined with all manner of flowers and manicured hedges. He walked into the first building on the right; it had a large white sign out front, marked “Visitors”.
The girl inside, who was dressed in a red and white striped jumper, made a phone call and then gave him directions. As he walked back out into the sun and around the second brick building he kept a tight grip on the letter he was carrying. He walked casually past rows of red and yellow tulips, and saw an elderly man in a wheelchair, sitting under a patio umbrella, outside the sliding glass doors of his posh residence hall. The old man was crying. It was Chris... in a wheelchair, and he was crying for Lorna.

She awakened in a cold sweat. Chris was gone. She panicked until she remembered it was Friday. Chris always awakened early on Friday's and went for a run. Then it hit her. Waves of nausea sent her running for the bathroom. She hadn't even had breakfast yet.

Lorna had been sick for a week. She could hardly keep anything down, even ginger ale. She thought it was just nerves from the bad dreams and lack of sleep; plus she hadn't been eating right. Not to mention that Chris had been spending more and more time alone, working on his fourth novel, and things had been...well, a little stressed between them. But now it seemed more than that. She was afraid something was wrong. She got Maeve and herself dressed and called for an appointment. Yes, they could squeeze her in if she were able to come right away. She scribbled a note for Chris, and left.

Three hours later, Lorna returned from her doctor's appointment to an empty house. It was uncharacteristic of Chris to go out without letting her know. She scanned the kitchen for a note, but found none other than the one she had left for him; it was still laying on the counter just where she'd left it. She tried his mobile, but he didn't answer. She was so excited she could hardly contain herself. She couldn't wait to tell Chris why she had been so sick. She knew he would be ecstatic. Maeve was going to have a baby brother.

 ©2011 Garden Summerland

Friday, October 7, 2011

I Love Books' Haunted Halloween Bash

Today I am the featured guest blogger for I Love Books' Haunted Halloween Bash!!
Please take a moment to visit the blog, I Love Books, & read my story, "Saving Aaron"!
Leave a comment on her blog to be entered in the giveaway for your choice of either Volume I or Volume II of my fiction anthologies Flash Fiction Addiction!
There will be a different author featured each day for the rest of this month~ so keep checking back!
Enjoy!!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Guilty Little Secret

You are my guilty little secret;
a love that I must keep to myself.
You come to me each night inside my mind.
I hold your face and look into your eyes;
those beautiful soulful green eyes.

I kiss your lips and then your neck, and
you moan softly as I gently bite into you.
Then my lips seek out your mouth again
and I become lost in a new reality.
Shhhh, no one must ever know.

Your body is pressed against mine;
and I am aflame with desire as you take me again.
Night after night, I envision your lithe frame,
holding me & loving me, in our secret paradise.
You have kissed a smile upon my lips.

Every night while you sleep
I hold you near, my clandestine lover.
As you slumber unawares, I ache for your return.
Then you come to me; pleasures
beyond your imagination and they will never end.

Each time I close my eyes, you are there;
Waiting to spend a lifetime in my arms.
I long for those moments;
creating a world where I have you all to myself.
You are the smile on my face when no one is around.

I sit and hold your antiqued photograph to my breast,
your handsome face, perfect in every detail.
How I long to feel the hotness of your mouth upon mine.
But my want for you can never be known.
You will always be, my guilty little secret.

©2011 Garden Summerland