Four years ago, we went on a family vacation to Disney World. Not a huge fan of flying, I spent most of the three+ hour flight working on my webserial. (Of course, it wasn't a webserial at the time, but the story was still there.) I had just finished what would become seasons one and two, and I wanted to write the story about how Eliot ended up in Oakville. I also started a story about Pat kissing Chloe, though I didn't finish it. And I drafted a scene or two for the futuristic medical drama I was composing at the time.
I wrote all of this in a little memopad, the kind that came in a four-pack at the dollar store. When we returned to Connecticut, I put the notebook in a safe place.
And I haven't seen it since.
I remembered the highlights from Eliot and Pat's stories, as well as the scene with the medical director. Eventually, I gave up on ever finding the story and just rewrote them. Last year, I released Mooncrossed. Last month, I published "Innocent Bystander".
Last weekend, I was looking for craft sticks to make some puppets with my youngest when I found a memopad in the craft cabinet. I have been through there so many times in the past few years that I doubted it was the pad I had lost so long ago. I assumed it belonged to one of hte kids. However, it has become a habit to flip through every memopad I find, just to make sure it's not my missing one.
I couldn't believe it. I had found my missing stories!
Reading through the stories, I couldn't believe how much had stayed the same. There were scenes from Mooncrossed and Hartfield Chronicles Season 2 that were nearly identical to their final drafts. I must have found some time to type out my notes before losing the notebook.
But I knew I had never typed out "Innocent Bystander". There were some great lines in that first draft that I wished had made it into the final copy, but my original concept was for it to be a novella, not a short story. The story opened with Eliot sitting in a prison cell and, while I loved the scene, after doing some research, I realized it would work better if Eliot was just questioned by the police instead of arrested.
Even though I will probably never use the stories I just found, I am thrilled to finally know what happened to them.
How about you? Have you ever lost something forever only to find it years later?
Hartfield Chronicles
Season 4 of Hartfield Chronicles has arrived!
When Melinda is invited to join a new dance class, she sees this as her big break, a chance to advance her skills. Before she can accept, however, another kind of break stops her in her tracks.
Pat wants to be the supportive boyfriend, but his efforts seem to be making Melinda uncomfortable. He can’t go to his own friends for advice, because they can’t understand.
After Melinda calls for another type of break, she and Pat must examine their relationship to determine whether they are meant for each other.
Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Friday.
Here's what you missed:
Episode 75: Melinda tells her mother about her broken ankle and Pat volunteers for a new program
A mystery thriller, featuring attorney Charlotte Watson and the ghost of her ex-husband, John.
A haunted legal thriller
Meet Charlotte Watson, a criminal defense attorney in Conoy County, Pennsylvania. She's haunted by her dead ex-husband, John, who only shows up if she's on a date or her client is innocent.
And she needs to solve the case of the missing bullet before her client gets sentenced to death row.
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Zypher
A short story collection set in the same world
No matter who we are or where we are from, we all have a story.
Welcome to the world of Zypher, a new fantasy world where magical abilities are the norm with diverse people like the Galia, Aloka, Fariga, and many more. In these seven short stories you will find martial artists who experience growth, a girl struggling with her self-image, a boy in a heated battle with his emotions, and others who endure struggle, strife, and fear as they discover who they are and why they matter. Each story has a unique theme and charm that will resonate with young adults & adults alike. Zypher touches on topics like:
Self-acceptance & growth
Racism & prejudice
Stereotypes
Uncontrolled emotions
Helping others
Inspired by stories found in movies, tv shows, video games, and animation. Zypher is perfect for middle grade & young adult readers or fans of contemporary fantasy. The stories in this short story collection will transport you to a new world, teach you valuable lessons, and provide the magical blend of action, adventure, and heartwarming tales!
The Curse of Dawn
A dark fairytale about regaining hope and the reason for living.
A Jaded Princess, a Remorseful Witch, and a Broken Knight. Can They Break 'The Curse of Dawn'?
In the darkness of night, the moon is the only light.
Your beauty will be as fair as your heart.
But in the brightness of day, the sun enters the fray.
You will be a nightmare, destined to be torn apart.
Cole Holton is a burden.
At least that is what he tells himself, and death would be the only way to end the nightmare known as his life.
Until he meets Mallena, a woman with the stars in her eyes and a curse haunting her heart. A woman who is losing the one thing she gave him... Hope.
Can Cole break the curse and free Mallena from despair? Or will he fail and fall to his own demons?
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Other Books on Sale
Virus Attack
Cataclysm in the Cosmos Book 1
Two separate cat species collide in the cosmos to tackle one shared mission: survive deadly virus attacks while thwarting the tyrannical schemes of power-hungry leaders. Zahra and Orion have misled the felidors of exoplanet Kapteyn b, assuring them they can achieve immortality if they merge with a different species to counteract the virus. Felidors are more advanced than felines and have achieved intergalactic space travel along with language assimilation skills.Meanwhile, felines on planet Earth face a horrible virus themselves. Their future is just as dire as the felidors. Now, only one shelter houses cats that are still infection free, but time is running out. Inside this facility are two caged cats. Donovan from Kapteyn b and Khan from planet Earth. They become fast friends and allies. What will happen to them?Five extraordinary felidors are led by Artema in a fight to maintain goodness and equality on their home planet and beyond. Follow the action in this explosive novella series as Rhea, an almighty cat god of the universe, battles her evil sister Hecate’s takeover attempts!
My Corfu Love Story
A Greek clean beach romance short read set in Corfu Greece
Spyri forever lives in the past, haunted by old memories. This summer, she meets a man she once loved, and he is about to change everything...
Spyri, a half-Greek restauranteur in her early thirties, is back on the island of Corfu, staying in her grandmother's village home for a few days to decompress from her busy life in London. Her nostalgia for the good old summer days hit her upon her return.
When she hears that Markos, the one she never forgot, is staying at the village, she becomes excited. Sparks begin to fly when they meet, but Markos has his own hurts of the past to deal with...
The Death of Knowledge
A Most Unusual Suburban Mystery
Everyone knows there’s no crime in the City of Scolaris. Try telling that to the dead man!
Born into servitude, Quill relies on the Master for everything. But when they uncover a body, she’s sent away from the only home she’s ever known. Forced to serve the corpse’s widow, she discovers a world of power and prejudice, secrets and lies, a world she doesn’t recognise.
Meanwhile, in the City Guard, Deputy Red set out to be a trailblazer, a rebel. At least that’s the story he told himself. Imagining a career of action and intrigue, what he didn’t bank on was zero crooks and the boss from hell. Excited by the prospect of a case, Red must choose between following orders or trusting his instincts.
When the finger of suspicion points perilously close to home, Quill and Red’s paths cross with disastrous consequences. And as the quest for justice reaches its climax, both have to make choices that change their lives forever.Perfect for armchair sleuths, The Death of Knowledge offers an exciting twist on a traditional murder mystery, keeping you guessing until the very last word.
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Spring has finally sprung in our little corner of the world. I know some parts of the country are still snowing, but we have seen glorious temperatures the past few weeks. But there's an even more definite sign that summer is approaching.
Know what it is?
We have removed our camper from winter storage. That's right. It is once again the driveway-blocking eyesore of the neighborhood. (Though the woman across the street never noticed it was missing.)
Next weekend marks the first of our camping adventures this year. And did we plan a lot of them! Lot's of family time, lot's of new adventures. (Not to mention the two scout tent-camping adventures this summer as well!)
I am starting a blog about our camping adventures. Well, more like I'm updating the blog I started four years ago when we purchased our pop-up. I plan to write about our adventures, maybe give reviews of where we stayed and local activities.
Even if I don't get around to blogging our adventures, at least I will have some wonderful journal entries to share with you.
Readers Wanted!
Once again, I am overcome by how many of you are interested in reading my work. I still have several projects available for alpha readers. (If you signed up last time, I haven't forgotten about you. I need another week to get the projects online. It's taking longer than I thought.)
Interested but have yet to sign up? Join my Advance Reader Team to receive monthly updates about advance reading opportunities.
Hartfield Chronicles
Season 4 of Hartfield Chronicles has arrived!
When Melinda is invited to join a new dance class, she sees this as her big break, a chance to advance her skills. Before she can accept, however, another kind of break stops her in her tracks.
Pat wants to be the supportive boyfriend, but his efforts seem to be making Melinda uncomfortable. He can’t go to his own friends for advice, because they can’t understand.
After Melinda calls for another type of break, she and Pat must examine their relationship to determine whether they are meant for each other.
Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Friday.
Here's what you missed:
Episode 73: A different kind of big break ends Melinda's hope of attending a new class
When a little girl finds an umbrella, she never expected it to become her new friend.
For mystery readers
Sheltering Spirits
Lori Allison
With her dog grooming and boarding business finally taking off and her home renovations underway, Mallory finally has everything she has always dreamed of. However, when a freak accident with an old friend unleashes a new talent, Mallory begins to look at life in a new way. And death, especially after finding a dead body on her property. As her business suffers the consequences, she wonders which will come first: the poor house, prison, or the mental ward.
All the camping we are doing this summer, while fun, means that something has to give. I have decided to take a break from Ashleigh's Bookshelf for the next few months. While I love reading, and I do a lot of it while camping, many places we travel do not have internet for me to post reviews. Many don't even have electricity for me to type a review on my computer or phone to post later.
So, I will take careful handwritten notes of all my reading and resume posting book reviews in the fall.
Free Books
Hide & Seek
A story of growing up, facing fears, and realizing everybody needs a hero sometimes.
Anna would run, but she has no idea which way to go ...
Anna Docherty loves the woods. Until the night a game of hide and seek sends her running a little too far, a little too fast.
Lost in the dark, it doesn’t take long for Anna’s love of the forest to turn to terror.
When Ryan finds her, huddled in his childhood hideout, and leads her back to safety, Anna is forever grateful to him.
But is she grateful enough to fight her fear when Ryan’s the one who needs help?
12 Days of Christmas
A Contemporary Romance with Humorous Elements, Second Chances and Holiday.
Can 12 Days of love save them from themselves?
Holidays are hard, but when you're forced to play nice with the one you once loved for the sake of family it can become impossible.
This is the case for Bristol and Revan Kane.
Junior High School Sweethearts, they never imagined a life without the other. Time has a way of changing things. The onetime starry-eyed pair hardly speaks anymore and the big D-I-V-O-R-C-E has been scheduled. They just can’t tell their families. Not Yet.
Christmas is right around the corner and for this pair and their six-year-old, it may be the last one with Granny Renne. To keep from breaking the old woman’s heart they must play nice, and go through the motions of the perfect loving family, even if they want to tear each other apart.
Granny isn’t one to miss much and has now made it her vow to see her lovies happy once more. With the help of a town that loves her, she has devised twelve days filled with love to save them from themselves.
The Final Assignment
A fast paced cozy mystery with a determined, yet amateur sleuth
Immerse Yourself In Intruiging Mysteries With Interesting Women!
Mila stood in front of the University of Chernivtsi, and it was like time had stood still. The gate and the buildings looked the same as when she was a student there, and yet somehow, she was the one who had changed and aged. Of course, nobody could call her old. Mila was thirty-two, but today she felt older than the university.
Mila remembered when she left for her Ph.D. in Kyiv; she was heartbroken and swore she would never return to her hometown. However, life has a way of interfering with people’s plans and Mila was no exception…
First, her mother died, then her father retired because of a heart condition, and Mila knew she had to come home to take care of him. It was a good excuse to return when a call came from her best friend that a professor position was open at the university.
So, there she was, all dressed up and ready to confront a past demon and prove herself more than capable to become a professor…
Mila Kovalenko has returned to her alma mater to fill the vacant position of professor of ancient history.
Happy to reunite with her best friend Ania, the university’s librarian, they discuss a manuscript that has come to Ania’s attention. No sooner had Mila signed her contract when someone steals the manuscript from the library.
However, when the detective assigned to the case pegs her as the prime suspect, Mila must use her expertise and cunning to prove him wrong, or at least find another motive and suspect.
Realizing the book is more dangerous than it appears, and its origins are even eviler than they thought, Mila hopes to help the detective find the book before it falls into the wrong hands. However, the detective is not so willing to accept her help, infuriating Mila, if only he wasn’t so annoying, she could grow to like him, he was quite attractive….
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Other Books on Sale
Pass Me the Ball
All's Fair in Love and Sports Series
It’s Jonnie’s senior year, and her dream is to be the best wide receiver on the Buccaneers’ football team. But when she walks onto the field, the guys aren’t looking at her like they used to—especially her best friend and captain of the team, Skyler.
Skyler’s floored when he sees his best friend Jonnie after being gone all summer. Growing up, she was the tomboy he chased around the playground, but now? His connection with her off the field runs deeper than a long pass into the end zone. There’s just one problem. If your best friend is a girl… doesn’t that make her your girlfriend?
Football is easy. Falling in love with the wide receiver? Things couldn’t be more complicated.
Forgetting the Alien Bride Lottery
A Sci Fi Alien Romance
How can I fall in love with some alien when I don’t even know who I am?
Three weeks ago, I was a whole other person.
That’s what everyone tells me, anyway. But I don’t remember any of that. Or much of anything, to be honest.
The doctors call it retrograde amnesia. I call it hell.
When I’m drafted into the Alien Bride Lottery, I hope the Khanavai warriors will ignore me. I plan to keep my head down and continue working on recovering my memories. Anyway, what kind of alien idiot would want a brain-damaged bride who doesn’t even recognize her own name?
A giant orange beast of a Khanavai male, that’s who. He’s determined to help me regain what I’ve lost. I’m determined to try to forget him.
But the more I remember, the more I worry that returning to Earth might not be safe.
And that bright orange alien could be the only one who can save me.
The Fungo Society
Quick Mystery Book 1
Shelf Unbound's Best Indie Book of 2016 Runner-Up
A dead ballplayer. A missing antique. And nobody wants the cops. They want Quick.
Jonathan Quick is a savant when it comes to sports relics and a complete failure in relationships. He has a moral code when it comes to antiques and a complete lack of one for anything else.
Quick takes a call from a mysterious group of old ballplayers named the Fungo Society. They’re convinced that one of their own has been murdered and don’t believe the police who have ruled it a suicide.
They insist he comes to Phoenix, that very evening. He accepts the job, not because he believes them, but because they plan to pay him well. However, he soon finds he’s competing against a vindictive real estate developer, Carl Byrne, and his nemesis in the auction trade, Valerie.
Now Quick has to outwit Byrne while keeping Valerie off the scent of a priceless relic. And he has to keep the geriatric Fungo Society from escalating their unintentionally hilarious campaign of revenge. And he needs to do it all while hiding from the drug kingpin, with whose girlfriend, Quick unwittingly spent the night.
So, why doesn’t Quick walk away? Because he’s stumbled into two of his greatest weakness: a missing but valuable relic and an irresistible woman.
The Fungo Society is a thrilling and funny ride through the dark underworld of the sports auction business. A place where nobody can be trusted and everyone has an angle.
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