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Blurb for Words of an Angel

After losing her job at the local newspaper, Rayanne Bradley finally had the time to reach for one of her dreams—writing a book. What should have been an easy task end’s up getting off to a slow start, until the day her muse shows up. Now, whenever the masculine scent of musk mysteriously fills the air, her thoughts flow freely as she types them into what will become her book. As the manuscript unfolds, the mystery deepens and becomes entangled with coincidences. Could this be real? Had she met the long haired, sexy, man of her dreams? Could she believe and trust the words of an angel?

 

Excerpt…

~*~

Ecanus hung his head when he heard the booming voice from above. He knew he was guilty of doing wrong yet again by corresponding with Rayanne, but he wasn’t ashamed of what he’d done. He looked around but didn’t see anyone. He waited, but no one appeared, nor was he summoned by one of the Council. After a few more minutes went by without anything further, he assumed the roaring voice of the Creator was simply a warning. He knew he needed to heed the cautioning, but he was torn between obeying the written laws, and his growing feelings for Rayanne. Temptation. This was the very first time he actually understood what the word meant.

He turned back to where he could view the lovely woman once more. Ecanus frowned when he saw that she had left the chair she was seated on before and that her home was now dark. He knew that mortals ‘slept’ and rested at length during the hours of darkness, but where he dwelled there was never a need to sleep.

With a heavy hearted sigh, he looked out across the expanse of the mortal world. Although he was checking on the writers as he had done more times than he could count, this was the first time he had ever wondered what it would be like to live in their world. The Creator had given them a beautiful place to dwell. Though humans weren’t given immortality as the angels had been, they were given a second chance. They were given salvation. Upon their death, they could be saved, entering into heaven and experiencing all the love the Creator held for them.

Would the trade-off be worth it, he brooded over the mere thought. Ecanus knew he needed to come to some sort of a decision and soon. He knew he couldn’t ignore the feelings he was having where Rayanne was concerned, but he also wasn’t certain of being with her either.

The talk he had with Barchiel had helped him in many ways, but also complicated things further when he pointed out the choices available to the angel. Ecanus fully understood what his options were. Now, he simply needed to make a choice. That was one of the gifts the Creator bestowed upon the beings of both realms—free will.

Creases formed on the angel’s forehead as he frowned. How could he choose between having everything, and having everything he’d recently come to wonder about? One was absolute certainty without ever needing anything more. The other, was uncertainty at every turn. Yet, only one choice gave him the chance to experience the full feeling of loving Rayanne. What bothered Ecanus most was that Rayanne had free will too. Would she want him if that was the road he chose to go down? Was it a risk worth taking? He was now confronted with the hardest decision he’d ever been faced with. The only thing he sought comfort in, was in knowing whatever the outcome would be, his faith would always remain strong.

Seeing that no one was summoning his help at the moment, Ecanus crossed into the mortal realm, appearing in the quiet, dark room where Rayanne was sleeping. He sat on the bed next to her, looking at her intensely. She really was a beautiful woman and he felt a warming in his heart as he continued to watch her sleep. The long, thick, dark lashes of her closed eyes fluttered occasionally above her slender, somewhat pointed nose. Her luscious pink lips were slightly parted, as the whispered sounds of her breath slipped between them.

Before he realized what he was doing, Ecanus lifted his hand to the sleeping woman’s face, gently caressing it as he brushed away the hair that had fallen across her cheek. A grin lifted the corner of his mouth when she raised her hand resting it where his had been just a second earlier, as if savoring his touch. Sitting there looking at her, he would have thought his decision would be easy to make. But it wasn’t. He hadn’t expected that. Their worlds were just so different.

If he asked the Devine power to allow him to become an incarnated angel—an angel who was allowed to become human—he could go to Rayanne. He would also have to choose if he wanted to stay there permanently or simply experience what he was seeking and return. Another hard choice, and one that needed to be made at the initial time of asking. There was no deciding after the fact or changing his mind.

Becoming incarnated was allowed, part of the free will choices that angels were given, but a choice that was never taken lightly. Some had chosen to return after a short life in the human world. Others had chosen to remain as human, experiencing all that came with that, including death.

Ecanus’s thoughts were interrupted as the sleeping beauty stirred, rolling onto her back. “Why am I having such a hard time deciding?” he said, knowing she couldn’t hear him. He knew if he wanted to experience love in its truest form it would require time. Love was unconditional but needed time to grow and to be nurtured. It required complete devotion and patience. Obviously that wasn’t going to happen in a short period of time. Deep inside he knew that asking to be incarnated to be with Rayanne would result in it being a permanent choice of living as a mortal.

Yet what nagged at him was one sole question, what if she didn’t return his feelings? He would then have to live out his time as a mortal without her. She was the only reason he was even considering any of this. It didn’t seem fair. He’d heard that to love someone to the depth of your soul was to make sacrifices to be with them, as well as for them. He just wasn’t sure he could take that kind of leap of faith and trust, to make that magnitude of a sacrifice. “What am I going to do?”

Moving closer, he could smell that the sweetness of lavender from her hair had buried its fragrance deeply in the cloth of the bedding she was nestled in. It was at that time he heard the anguished voice of a man, asking for his help. The prayer sent was filled with depression. Ecanus recognized the voice of Dale immediately, for he had helped the writer many a time before. Dale was a very good writer but doubted himself and his abilities, especially when he was drinking. Holding his breath, Ecanus listened as the man cried, begging for help with his writing. The prayer so anguished, it was the most desperate Ecanus had ever heard him. Through his sobs Dale vowed to give up drinking forever, if he could just write one bestselling book.

Ecanus looked down at the lovely Rayanne for several minutes. His decision was made. With his wings flexed back over his shoulders until they touched each other, he leaned forward and with the softness of a feather he kissed her mouth tenderly. He allowed the meeting of their lips to linger, relishing in its intimacy, wishing she could feel it too. As Ecanus broke off the kiss, he saw Rayanne open her eyes momentarily. Sleepily, she slid her fingers to her mouth, running her index finger over her lips, almost as if she had felt the kiss. A smile formed on her lips as she rolled once more onto her side.

Ecanus rose from her bed, readying himself to leave. He looked once more at the beautiful creature that slumbered so peacefully. As he left her room, the first tear he had ever shed slipped down his cheek. He knew he’d made the right decision, he just hoped it was one he wouldn’t regret.

 

To purchase “Words of an Angel” go to Amazon.com



 

 

 

 

Blurb for, Oh, Deer...

 

Jacob Ellis and his wife Donna live in the north woods of Wisconsin. Like most young couples, they have hobbies they enjoy. Jacob likes the outdoors, choosing four-wheeling and hunting as his forms of relaxation. Donna loves cooking, but her true passion is working in her flower garden. That is until her labor of love becomes nothing more than a colorful, tasty treat for the white-tailed deer, who share their surroundings.

One night the pair has an eerie experience with the four-legged visitors in their yard that would haunt them in the nights ahead. The evening sets the path for Jacob’s decision to go against nature. After hearing a legend passed down through generations of the Chippewa Indians, Jacob must now decide if it’s just a myth or a lesson in the balance of law and justice—between people and nature.

 

 

Excerpt ~

Jacob Ellis stood looking out the patio doors. His eyes scanned the yard looking for them, surprised to find that none were in sight. His vision strained to see in the rapidly descending darkness, trying to view the wooded parameter of the acre sized clearing of the yard. There were no signs of movement beneath the apple tree. Even the wire fenced garden was void of their presence.

It seemed as if Jacob’s plan to rid the yard of the destructive, four legged, white-tailed animals had worked. Still, he had expected to see a few of them around. They couldn’t have all been taken care of…

~◊~

 Two days earlier, Donna had asked her husband, Jacob, if there was anything he could do to get rid of the deer that had eaten all the flowers and shrubbery around the house. The animals had also figured out how to get into the fenced garden. They ate everything in sight, leaving behind damaged plants. Some were chewed right to the ground.

Donna was quite upset. Her one true passion was gardening and she spent long hours tending to the many flower beds and the vegetable garden she’d planted. The morning’s conversation had been a repeat of the same discussion they’d had daily over the past few weeks.

 “Damn it Jacob, I really want those destructive things gone,” Donna said in a seriously pissed off voice, entering the kitchen after attempting to retrieve some tomatoes from the garden, only to return empty handed.

“Well, what do you want me to do? You don’t want me to shoot them because it’s not hunting season. Not to mention your poor Bambi philosophy. I built a taller fence this year and tried all the commercial deer deterrents on the market. I even tried Mark’s crazy home remedies, nothing has worked,” Jacob said a bit louder than he intended.

 After grabbing the gallon of milk, Donna slammed the refrigerator door, practically yelling, “Poor Bambi, my ass! I want them taken care of. There’s nothing left of my flowers and I won’t be canning anything this year, they ate it all already!”

Picking up the large, dark green coffee mug, Jacob took a swallow of the now tepid, dark liquid. He remembered one last remedy Mark had told him about. It was highly illegal which didn’t sit well with him. Jacob wasn’t the sort of man to go around breaking the law. Christ, he’d never even gotten a speeding ticket. He would have to think it over more carefully. Maybe use that as a last resort. Maybe.

“I’ll talk to a few of the old farmers when I stop in town after work today and see if they have any other suggestions. It was a rough winter and the weather lately hasn’t exactly helped. They’re just trying to survive too, you know.” Jacob said sympathetically.

“I’ll remind you of that when you want homemade salsa or canned tomatoes’ for your chili. Christ Jacob, have you seen how sick the apple tree looks? The apple’s that are coming in won’t be any good for using, it’s just more damn deer bait.” Donna said, her voice laced with irritation while she rolled her eyes.

“I’ll see what I can do, dear,” was Jacob’s only reply as he picked up the coffee mug again, and reached across the kitchen table for the newspaper. As an afterthought, he also grabbed an apple out of the bowl filled with mixed fruits, which was centered on the table.

~◊~

After work Jacob stopped to talk with some of the old farmers that hung out at the feed mill. The visit produced no more insight as to how to get rid of the vandalizing critters. He had already tried everything that was mentioned.

Now on his ride home, Jacob considered using the last idea Mark had mentioned. He said—guaranteed rather, that the animals that ate anything laced with the antifreeze would die. Antifreeze, Jacob thought as he continued driving his rusty old F150 pickup truck on the wooded back road. He didn’t want to kill anything, he just wanted his wife to stop nagging everyday about her flowers, and he certainly would miss the homemade salsa.

 As Jacob’s truck topped the steep hill, thinking of salsa, he nearly hit the white-tailed deer that stood in the center of the road. Slamming on the brakes hard, the pickup truck skidded as the tires tried to grab hold of the graveled road. That natural reflex to stomp on the brake sent the truck skidding across the gravel, swerving to the right. As Jacob tried to regain control of the vehicle, he overcorrected his steering, causing the truck to fish-tail, sliding to where the road met the embankment. Once the tires caught the uneven ground, there was no stopping the truck from sliding into the tree-lined ditch.

“God damn son of a bitch,” Jacob yelled as the truck came to a sudden halt. The passenger side door of the truck was now wrapped tightly against a big oak tree. Jacob slammed both hands on the steering wheel, muttering a few more choice words he knew his mother would have washed his mouth out for using.

Evidently the deer wasn’t quite as surprised by the arrival of the truck which housed Jacob, because as quick as a flash of lightning, it took off across the road heading for the safety of the woods. Jacob got out of the truck to survey the damage. He was not at all pleased to see the crunched metal crease in the door. However, he knew he should be thankful that it hadn’t been worse. Getting back into the vehicle, he threw it into four-wheel drive and slowly worked the vehicle out of the ditch and onto the road.

He turned his head looking for oncoming traffic before proceeding, and was surprised by what he saw. There about twenty five feet away, just inside the woods was the deer. Not only the one, but five of her companions as well. “What the hell are you looking at?” Jacob asked sarcastically. The doe’s continued to gaze at him, and if he didn’t know better, it almost appeared as if they were smiling and laughing at him.

“Oh this is just bullshit,” Jacob muttered as he pulled out, heading for home once more. Unseen by Jacob, the deer stood their ground and watched his truck fade into the horizon. Once he was out of sight, the animals turned, slowly walking further into the woods.

~◊~

To purchase “Oh, Deer” go to Amazon.com