That was my first experience with the Trans Siberian Orchestra. I’m sure you’ve all seen the web video of the house with the Christmas lights that blink on and off in time to music. That’s TSO’s famous “Christmas in Sarajevo.” We’ve gone every year since then and TSO’s Christmas show was one of the inspirations of my latest work in progress.
If you’ve never seen the show, the whole first half is a story about an angel who is sent to earth to find the true meaning of Christmas. I was intrigued by the idea of an angel sent on a mission. I also had a wild dream about tattooed wings that became real. Somehow those two things merged and became my newest work in progress.
I’m calling it FALLEN right now, thought I think that will probably change in the future. I found out there’s a young adult novel of the same name. It’s changed a little bit too from those first seeds of inspiration. It’s no longer about an angel who’s been sent on a mission. Rue is one of the heavenly judges who weigh men’s souls at the gates of Hell. He’s lost his compassion and has been sentenced to humanity by the Seraph princes. He’s not happy about it and doesn’t see at first anything good about humanity until he meets Serafina a shop owner who seems to see the best in everyone and everything.
It wasn’t supposed to be a romance. Really, it wasn’t. It was supposed to be a contemporary fantasy novella that’s turned into so much more. There were a couple of twists that I didn’t see at the start of the story and it’s becoming a full blown novel. Serafina’s become so much larger of a character than she was originally supposed to be and now Rue is standing at the gates of Hell. What does it say about me that I’m really looking forward to writing about Hell?
One of my favorite characters is the demon Asmoday. He was also supposed to be just be a walk on character and the little devil, pun intended, is starting to edge into the spotlight. It’s always interesting when a story starts to take on a life of its own. I usually have a pretty good idea on where a story is going when I start one. There are always a couple of spots in the plot where the story could branch off or stay on the original path I had plotted. I decided to go off the beaten path with this story and I’m really happy I did.
I’m hoping to be able to finish it by the end of the calendar year, but life has a tendency to interfere. I know where we’re going and I know how to get us there. There are one or two other detours I can take along the way. Here’s hoping I can find those extra hours in the day to keep going. It seems the closer I seem to get to Christmas there’s not only less daylight around here, but fewer hours in the day!
My current book RIBBONS OF MOONLIGHT is available through Solstice Publications. That book I intended to be a time travel romance. It was inspired by “The Highwayman” poem by Alfred Noyes.
RIBBONS OF MOONLIGHT
Emma Sanders:
She’s a damsel in distress—a 20th century miss dragged back to the 18th with no way home and no idea how she got there in the first place. Connor MacAllister Kane:
He’s the reason she’s in distress--a British highwayman, and a minor noble with
not much more to his name than a title and a Robin Hood-like charm who robs the wrong coach.
not much more to his name than a title and a Robin Hood-like charm who robs the wrong coach.
Now, Captain Nelson Rawlins of His Majesty’s Royal Dragoons, a former childhood friend of Connor’s who sacrificed friendship for duty is on the hunt for the Highwayman and traitors to the crown. The longer Emma stays in Connor’s time, the more she’s drawn to him and drawn into his troubles. She and Connor find themselves struggling to stay one step ahead of the Captain and his corrupt Commander and keep Connor and his roguish cousins from the hangman’s noose.
As the Commander’s grip on the countryside tightens, the people need Connor even more, but Rawlins is hot on his trail and there’s a traitor in their midst. Can Emma use her twentieth century wits to keep both Connor and her heart safe?
(Can I just say that I loved this book xx Kiss)
TEASER—FALLEN
Rue pushed his hands deep into his coat pockets, feeling them curve into fists as he stared at the huge bronze gothic doors at the front of the cathedral. They were metal though fashioned to look like heavily carved planks of wood.
“They weigh more than a thousand pounds each, but are able to be moved by a single finger.” Rue stiffened at the creature’s words. “Humans are so clever.” A sharp crunch, the sweet scent of fruit. Asmoday quirked one blond brow at Rue, gestured with the apple in his hand. “Want a bite?”
Rue returned the demon’s smile with a stony glare of his own. “I suppose not.” The demon blended beautifully with the lunch time crowds. He nodded to the church. “You going in?”
“You are not welcome here, creature,” Rue growled. His fingertips tingled with remembered power. When he’d had his wings he’d have been able to blast the Deciever back to the pit from whence he came.
“Can it, Ruvan,” Asmoday finished the apple, tossing the core over his shoulder, “you don’t have the juice anymore.” He sat on the steps of the church, patting the cold stone next to him. “Pop a squat, mortal. I have a proposition for you.”
“I have nothing to say to the likes of you,” Rue insisted, though he sat. He knew Asmoday could make him very uncomfortable just for fun.
“Wise.” Asmoday tipped his sunglasses down his nose. “Now, I know what you’re going to say. Get thee back, demon, and all that other nonsense, but at least hear me out.” He rolled angel blue eyes. “If the boss says to talk to you, Ruvan, I talk to you.” His smile turned knowing. “Word in the realms has it you’re finding being human to your taste.” He leered at a young woman walking a trio of dogs on long leashes.
“Get on with it,” Rue growled.
“In a moment,” Asmoday’s gaze followed the girl until she and her charges strolled out of sight. “I mean,” he flicked a glance in Rue’s direction, “who could blame you? Those holier than thou types upstairs don’t know the benefits of a good roll in the hay.” He looked knowingly at Rue’s crotch.
Rue forced himself to stay still. “The purest forms of love are beyond the physical.”
Asmoday stared at him in silence for a moment as if tasting the truth of the words. “You still truly believe that, despite rolling around all night with the redhead.” He shook his head in admiration. “Man, you judges are made of some stern stuff. I told Luke you’re not going to go for this, but . . .”
“Say what you need to say and be done with it. I have business of my own to conduct.” He looked back over his shoulder to the bronze doors of Holy Name.
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve got some business to take care of before going back to bounce on the redhead some more.” He leaned back on his elbows tipping his head up to the wan sunlight. “I don’t blame you. She’s a fine piece of ass.”
Rue longed to grab Asmoday by the throat and throw him off the church steps, but he knew the demon was braced for just such a thing so he buckled down the violent urge. Even so, his voice was strained when he spoke. “You will not speak of Serafina in such disrespectful tones.
The demon’s eyes sparked with anger or amusement, Rue couldn’t tell. He leaned forward, his smile too much teeth for comfort. “Damn me, Ruvan, and you already have, but you do love her.” Rue remained silent. “Isn’t your next line supposed to be, ‘more than anything I’ve ever loved before,’ or something equally maudlin?”
Conflict stirred in Rue’s soul.
Asmoday fired up a large stinking cigar. He blew the smoke at the next baby stroller that happened by. With a cruel snicker he turned back to Rue. “It almost hurts me to hear the back and forth inside you.” He stuck the cigar between his teeth and held out both hands, palms up like scales. “I love her so much I feel like I’m flying apart every time I’m in her arms,” the right hand went down. “The judges need me to balance them, so humanity isn’t unfairly punished for their crimes.” The left hand dipped. “If I leave her, she dies,” down went the left. “She’s so good she’ll go to heaven and it’s really for the greater good.” The right dropped more. “It’s sad, isn’t it?” He jerked his head to the church behind him flicking ash toward a squirrel foraging nearby. “Going to pray for guidance?”
“What would you know of prayer, demon?” Rue choked on the smoke, smelling tobacco and brimstone.
“I’ve answered more prayers than you have, Ruvan.” Asmoday’s smile was pure evil. He was the deceiver and claimed to his credit a little trick with a snake and an apple back in the infancy of humankind. Rue could very well imagine Asmoday answering prayers in his own diabolic fashion.
“Here I am,” he threw the still smoking cigar into the gutter, “to answer one of yours.”
Where to find Rebecca:
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