Tuesday, April 29, 2014

NEW RELEASE: from Kelly Martin ~ Hindsight: Out of the Blue

Hindsight #1: Out of the Blue
Kelly Martin
This novella is the first in a three part series.

Start at the beginning...
You want to know how it all began.
How I fell for her? How I started to love...?
You want to know how I met Oliver Weston. How I grew to hate him? Why I did what I did?
You want to know how it all began?

Because every story has a beginning, doesn't it?
Even mine.
Especially mine.
I loved her. I still do.
And I hated him. Still do.
So this is it. The start. My 'in the beginning'.
This is how an average guy from Oklahoma ended up here... talking to you.
It all started innocently enough. I needed a place to live. Jordan needed a roommate.

It hit me out of the blue.
I only wish it had ended differently.
But we will get to that later.
Start at the beginning... are you sure you are ready?

Excerpt
I should have followed my gut instincts. We would have all been happier. I know I would have been. I would probably be with her right now. Not talking to you…
No offense. You are great and it’s helping… I’m going to get back to the story now before I put my foot in my mouth some more.
Okay, so I walked up the stairs, well, limped if you want the correct word. Limped because my knee was killing me from all the walking on campus and the God-forsaken stairs.
God-forsaken. Let’s go off on that tangent for a second. See, Sheriff Rivers asked me if I believed in God. If I was a church-going man. And I answered him yes. Yes, I was… actually I said my father was a preacher which basically means the same thing. I went to church. I believed in God. I was saved at a very young age. You need to know all of that before we go on with this story. You need to know that I prayed and I had every faith that everything would turn out okay.
Here’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question… do I believe in God now? Three months later? I guess we’ll have to get to that part, won’t we?
I didn’t have any of these thoughts as I climbed up the stairs. I did, however, remember just as I got to the landing on J’s floor that she had been mad at me. And I wondered, for a split second, if she still was. I didn’t have to wait long.
A shoe.
A SHOE.
A red shoe.
A red high heeled shoe.
Flew past my head.
I had to do this really cool Matrix move to keep the stiletto from impaling my eyeball.
Yep. Still mad.
I had a choice. Go up the stairs and sulk or go talk to the girl. Maybe apologize. I wish I could say it was an easy decision. A deadly object had been thrown at my head after all, but I decided I’d take the high road for once in my life and go apologize to her.
Didn’t mean that I went in all confident, though. I have to say, I kept my hands up and sort of shuffled into the room. I mean, I knew enough to know that shoes came in pairs. Only one had zipped by my head. She had another one in there somewhere.

Author Bio


Kelly Martin is the author of epic reads that you, your teen, and your Grandma Fannie can all enjoy together. She has been on several Amazon best seller lists... has won awards... and occasionally sleep (if she can ever get past that one level of Candy Crush... sigh)
She loves God, chocolate, Sleepy Hollow, and useless trivia.
Believes in Sherlock Holmes. (Seriously, a total fan girl!!!)

A list of her books
Crossing the Deep
Saint Sloan
Big is Beautiful: A Love Story
The Deception of Devin Miller
The Afterlife of Lizzie Monroe
Saving Sloan (Saint Sloan Sequel)
Hindsight: Out of the Blue (Part 1)
Coming in June: Hindsight: The Black Heart (2)
In progress: Betraying Ever After: A Shattered Fairy Tale

Buy links

Friday, April 25, 2014

The Mythology Files: Athena


I am Athena.

Goddess of wisdom, that’s my official title — though there are a plethora of other subjects that fall under the umbrella of my authority.

War strategy.

Arts and crafts.

Justice.

The list goes on.

I know you’re wondering why I’m here. It’s a fair question. One I have asked myself many times. Ordinarily, I don’t go in for this whole thing. Beauty, drama… the thought alone repulses me. So I understand your confusion. You would think my wisdom should have precluded me from getting involved.

I had a momentary lapse in judgment. That is all. And now I can’t seem to undo it.

I’m sure you’ll find this hard to believe, but I occasionally have fits of temper. I’m not proud of it. In fact, pride is actually my pet peeve, hence the rage.

You’ve heard of spiders? That is an example of my handiwork. True, they are amazing creatures, capable of intricate and beautiful weaving (one of my fortes), but the fact is spiders are a product of my temper… Of course, in that particular case, it was righteous indignation. Most of my fits of temper fall into that category.

Medusa? Yeah, another victim of my indignation. Well, I say victim, but really she brought it on herself. She and Arachne both. Two peas in a hubris-infected pod.

My mother is a Titaness, Metis, the goddess of prudence. She had a momentary lapse in judgment at one point which led to my birth taking place inside my father’s head.

Yes.

You heard me correctly.

In. Side. Zeus’s. Head.

Of course, it hurt him more than it hurt me. I can’t imagine having my head split open by Hephaestus’s axe. But when all was said and done, I emerged from my father’s skull the fully grown goddess you see now.

Zeus has momentary lapses in judgment all the time. None of us are immune. It’s just that with wisdom being my strong suit, you would think I would be a somewhat less susceptible. Discernment is my first nature after all.

Case in point, I’m a virgin.

Before you start jumping to conclusions, understand. That’s by choice.

No matter what anyone tells you, casual sex is an entanglement that offers only trouble and heartache. You can trust me on this one. But in case you need proof, just look at the problems Aphrodite has. And Zeus. It honestly gives me a headache just thinking about it.

It’s not that I’m against love, mind you. I just happen to believe that I deserve a god (or man) who doesn’t make me share him with any other goddess or woman he takes a fancy to.

Until that one comes along, abstinence is the wise choice.

So why do I care who wins the golden apple?

It’s obviously not for the sex appeal. But there is a logical explanation.

I don’t like pride.

You can look at my track record for evidence of that. And when I find it in mortals, I punish them. Severely.

In immortals, pride comes in epic proportions. Unfortunately, I can’t just turn them into insects. If I could, Aphrodite would have been morphed into one of those nasty lovebugs long, long ago. She’s worse than Narcissus. And that is saying something.

Pride makes people, mortal and immortal alike, stupid. And as the goddess of wisdom, stupidity is something I simply cannot abide.

Aphrodite is getting far too big for her britches, to coin a modern phrase. And Hera, well, I know she means well, but this whole I’m the queen prima donna attitude has reached critical mass.


This is why I must win the golden apple. I’m the only one who can absorb the compliment and not have it go straight to my head. I’m doing this for the good of everyone.


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesday: Stalking Ashton

PROMPT: Do you want fries with that?


Ten years. That’s how long I’ve loved him.

He doesn’t know I exist — never once noticed me — but I’ve loved him for ten years… from the other side of my binoculars.

Every day I’ve watched him. Every night I lay awake pondering what I would say to him if he ever were to look my way: “Hello, Destiny. I’ve been waiting for you to walk into my life,” or “Do I know you or have I just seen you in my dreams?”


But no… I took one look in those baby blues and blurted, “Do you want fries with that?”


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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesday: That's Mine!

PROMPT: Today's Horoscope: Your prized possession will end up in someone else's hands.


Jason smiled and held my hand. I could get lost in those deep blue eyes, and I did… often. I squeezed his hand and released it.

"I have something for you." I reached up behind my neck and unclasped my senior key necklace. It was my most valued possession — a symbol of my accomplishment, a sign that I was near to liberty. I re-clasped the chain and dangled it over his open palm, gazing deep into his eyes so he would know the depth of my feelings for him.

That was last week.


Today Wendy walked into class wearing it.



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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesday: Heart Trouble

PROMPT: That's what happens when you follow your heart.



The alarm pierced the air, sending a sudden shiver down my spine. Red-handed. That’s how they’d find me.

Get in. Get the goods. Get out. That was the plan.

But somewhere between picking the lock and making off with the score, my plan had gone horribly awry.I thought I’d had every detail accounted for… everything but my blasted Achilles’ heel.

All my life I’d been told to follow my heart — it would lead me where I needed to go. But I think something is wrong with my heart’s GPS. It only ever leads me to trouble.

Well… trouble and chocolate.

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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesday: Fred

PROMPT: The devil's name was Fred.


I found my keys in the toilet this morning. I have an idea how they got there, but Mom refused to hear my theories. Naturally, I was late for school. And after a bottle of sanitizer, my hands still felt diseased.

I slipped into geometry. The teacher was already collecting the homework, so I reached in my backpack to grab mine. I’d spent an hour and a half trying to make sense of it, but I finally understood. With a proud smile, I held out the paper.

When Mr. Welburn hesitated, I glanced at the paper.

Fred is so dead.


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