The Gemini Sagittarius Connection is featured today with Thursday's Opening Scene #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #romance #medical #twins #single mother

 

"Mom, how much longer?"

"Hours. It's been hours."

As the twin whines rasped her eardrums, Liz Jordan's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Forty-five minutes isn't hours. We'll be there soon."

"Don't know why we have to move to some hick town."

"Yeah, we'll be bored."

Their voices inched toward supersonic wails. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw twin scowls. Justin and Brandon had inherited their father's handsome features and his hazel eyes, but their hair was dark brown like hers. "Guys, why not give Eastlake a chance? You lived here for two years."

"We were babies," Brandon said. "How we gonna remember anything?"

"Yeah, babies know nothing," Justin added his comment.

They had celebrated their fifth birthdays in Eastlake. Now they were nine going on two or forty-two depending on their mood. Maybe they didn't understand why she'd made the decision to return here, but her reasons were valid. In the city, they'd been prey to pressure from a gang of boys headed for juvenile hall. This move was right for them. And her?

As the car rounded a bend, she saw a shopping mall that hadn't been here four years ago. What other changes would she find? She knew the hospital had expanded. The unit where she'd be in charge had been opened just three years ago.

When this fact popped into her thoughts, once more she wondered if making a lateral move had been the right choice. Being nurse manager of the ortho/neuro unit at Eastlake Community Hospital had to be less stressful than the same position at a city hospital. Here she wouldn't have to cope with nursing students from three different programs or with interns and residents. What about prima dona surgeons? She chuckled. That breed came with the territory.

At Eastlake, she'd be with the friends she'd made during the two years at Grantley College. She'd been the oldest of their clinical group and the one they'd come to for advice. Three of them lived and worked here. How great it would be to be with Jenessa, Laurel, and Megan again.

What about the unit's neurosurgeon, Dr. Jeff Carter? She remembered golden hair and summer blue eyes, broad shoulders and a lean body. She recalled memories of a dark night and the scent of wild roses. Don't go there. As the memories surged, her cheeks heated. That evening she'd made a foolish mistake, one she'd never make again.

"Mom, why do we have to live here?" Justin asked.

"Because I have a new job, and it's here."

"If it ain't that far from our home, why can't you drive every day?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah. Then we coulda stayed with our friends." Resentment filled Justin's voice.

And I would have gone gray from worry. "Enough. You'll live in Eastlake and like it."

"Or lump it," the boys said in unison.

"Is Pop still behind us?" Justin asked.

"If he gets lost, we'll lose all our stuff 'cept our collection." Brandon thumbed the box on the seat between Justin and him.

"Your grandfather's there," Liz said. "Justin, sit down and fasten your seatbelt." Would he ever learn to think before jumping into action?

"Just had to check."

"He's always doing dumb things."

"Am not."

She heard a grunt. "Guys, enough. Do I have to pull over?" She had to stop them before they came to real blows, something that had never happened. Though they were identical in looks, their personalities were opposite. Like his dead father, Justin plunged into action without thinking, while Brandon plodded and planned.

The noise from the back seat ceased. Liz spotted the sign announcing their arrival in Eastlake and released a sigh of relief. "We're almost there."

She saw her sons turn in their seats to look out the windows. The sight of houses with lawns instead of blocks of tall apartment buildings made her smile.

"Is our house like them?" Brandon asked.

"Maybe a little bigger." She turned the car into Main Street. Many of the shops she remembered were still there. "There's the Hot Doggery. We'll go there for dinner some evening. Best chili dogs I've ever had."

"Tonight?" the boys asked.

"No. Some of my friends are coming by after work to help us get settled."

"That's not fair," Justin said. "We had to leave our friends."

"Do they have kids?" Brandon asked.

"Laurel and Alex have a son. I think he's six."

"A baby," Justin said. "Who wants to play with a baby? Not me."

"Your choice," Liz said. "You don't have to play, but you will be nice to him."

"All right."

"Where's the hospital?" Brandon asked.

"When we come to the next corner, look up the hill. The brick building at the top is the hospital."

"Wow," Justin said. "Think of coming down that hill on a bike."

"Think, but don't do," Liz said.

"You're no fun."

"Not supposed to be. I'm your mother."

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Meet One with an Earth Affinity #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Fantasy #air #water #earth #fire #twins

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks here  http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com  for some great excerpts. Meet one with an Earth Affinity at eclecticwriter.blogspot.com from Escape is mine

Blurb:

Two sets of halfling twins, Ashlea, Brandien, Jaydren and Kylandra sent away from their home by their parents to protect them from trouble, search for mentors to teach them how to use their affinities.

During the escape, they face many problems forcing them to use their affinities by trial and error. They also meet Alizand, the son of the ruling prince of Wesren. Zand has an affinity for Fire and this will keep him from gaining the rule.

Dom Senet, an advisor to his father, and once a friend of the quartet’s parents suspects Zand’s affinity. He wishes to corrupt the teen and use him to gain control of the four princedoms of the land and of the highlands. The evil dom has all four affinities. The four must reach a secret place and find teachers before the evil man discovers them

Excerpt:

Jay waited until Ash had Ky on her back before he rose and began to tap the way along the path. His thoughts drifted to his parents. Surely by working together, they were stronger than the Dom who walked the road to darkness. What was happening at the henge? Bran had seen the first wall fall. Had the other walls been breached? Would they see Mama and Papa again? They’d said so and he would hold onto that promise.

Just beyond him, there seemed to be a wall. He tapped the tip of the staff against the blockage. Inch by inch, he moved through the dense fog. Suddenly, the light of the sun blinded him.

“Jay, where are you,” Ash and Bran called.

“I’m out of the illusion.” He turned and thrust his staff into the mist. “Grab the end.” He felt a tug on the staff. He walked backwards. Like corks being drawn from a bottle, his siblings appeared. He slumped against the stones.

Ash moved past him. “Up, Jay. ‘Tis not far now.” She paused. “I smell smoke, men and beasts.”

“Where?”

“On the grasslands beyond the mesa wall.”

“Can they see us?” Bran pulled Jay to his feet. “Have they found the ponies and the supplies?”

“Let’s find out.” After letting Bran and Jay take her sister, she picked her way around the rocks to an opening in the palisade.

They emerged into a box canyon. Jay looked around with interest. A group of ponies grazed on the browning grass. At the far end, water tumbled over rocks into a stone basin. He noticed a fire circle. Where were the promised supplies? He lowered Ky to the ground.

“Where are the things they said would be here?” Jay asked. “Ky’s like ice.”

Ash turned. “This way.”

Bran caught her hand. “Let’s fetch them. You can scent which packs we should open.”

Jay reached for the twin bond. Ky wandered in a nightmare of being lost in the dark. He sent her images of the bright meadow. Slowly, her dreams changed and she slipped into normal sleep patterns.

Bran turned. “We’ll need a fire. Sure wish Ky could start one.”

“There should be a starter in one of the packs,” Ash said. “Jay, fill our water flasks.”

Though he didn’t want to leave Ky, he rose and carried the four flasks to the pool. Then he gathered wood. Once Bran and Ash returned with two packs, one containing a fire started, Bran set the wood ablaze.

Bran heated water in a pan. He poured it into the scrying cup and mixed an assortment of herbs in the water. “Ash, let me try this on your hand.”

The mark on the back of her hand had remained scarlet and hadn’t shrunk. Bran applied some of the solution.

“Hey, it’s gone,” Jay said. “Will it work like that for Ky?”

“Hope so, but hers is larger and I think deeper.”

Jay unwound the cloth. Bran dipped it in the solution and wrapped the bandage 

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Wednesday Whispers Yesteryear #MFRWHooks #BWLAuthor #Romance #Time travel #Twins

 

Join the authors at #MFRWHooks Here http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com for some great excerpts. Mine is found @https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com

Blurb:

“Not the children.” Willow Carey is awakened by the remnants of a dream she hasn’t had for years. Today she is to return to Indian’s Sorrow, a house she inherited from her aunt. The inheritance has caused a rift with her twin sister. Her father and stepmother have died in an accident. Though she doesn’t want to go to Indian’s Sorrow, she must take charge of her young half-sister and brother.

Reid Talbot, a man she once loved lives near the house with his family. Now a widower, he lives with his sons. Learning to trust him again is difficult but he also has dreams.

Together, they must learn the meaning of the dreams before the whispers of yesteryear destroy their newfound happiness.

Excerpt:

As she moved among the trees, she stopped to gather medicines -- birch leaves, bloodroot, ginseng, bee balm. Slowly, she made her way to the stream where chill waters swept down the hill to join other streams and form a river.

The leaves of the willows had darkened from pale spring green to the darker hues of summer. All the catkins had dropped away. She pressed her hands against the largest of the cluster.

"Sister Tree, one who shares your name has need of your bark. Will you let me cut your skin?" She pressed her forehead against the tree and waited for an answer.

The scream that sounded in her head caused her to stagger. Her legs refused to hold her erect. She slid to the ground. With a terror that matched her sister’s, through the link between them, she witnessed the destruction of the Long House. The faces of the enemy burned into her head.

"Not the children!" The scream caused the earth beneath her body to shudder.

*****

July 2000

"Not the children!"

Willow Carey jerked into a sitting position. Her heart thudded in her chest. Waves of terror flooded her thoughts. She gulped deep breaths of air.

She stared at the familiar surroundings and wondered why the bedroom seemed alien. Like a shroud, the sheet had twisted around her legs. She tugged it free. Her sleep shirt, soaked with perspiration, clung to her skin. She shook her head to dislodge the fragments of the nightmare that had awakened her. Terror, grief and rage had followed her into consciousness. What? Why?

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Thursday's Opening Scene from Escape Affinities Book 1 #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Epic fantasy #@ sets of twins #Magic #Astrology

 A flash of lightning brightened the sleeping chamber. Ash woke with a start and burrowed into the pillows. The scent of trouble rode the air currents that threaded through the open window slats. Her heart thudded in her chest. Like the beating of a giant’s club against a massive drum, thunder sounded. Again, lightning flashed and cast green, red, white and blue slashes across the sky.

The air held no threat of rain. ‘Twas like the heat storms of summer, unnatural at this time of year, for the waning days of autumn marked the season.

Ash calmed her racing thoughts and tasted the air, for that was her element. A frown formed within and without. From the land beyond the four walls of the henge, she caught the odors of fires, animals and men. From inside the keep, there was little except the aromas of her parents and siblings. Something was wrong. Where were those who served the Dom and Doma of Wesren? Ash propped herself against the pillows. If she had her younger brother’s affinity for things of earth, she could read the stones of the ancient tower and know what had passed while she slept. Where were the men servants and maids? ‘Twas as though the henge had been abandoned by those who lived within the four walls.

The chamber door creaked. Ash froze until a familiar scent reached her. “Mama, what’s wrong?”

The Doma Calanda slipped across the room and sat on the bed. “Ashlea, still your thoughts.”

Ash struggled to obey the sharp command. Her mother seldom spoke this way. “Why?”

“Thoughts travel on the wind and may be read by those who wish us ill.” She grasped Ash’s hand. “Dress in your warmest clothes. As soon as you’ve finished, go to the inner room.”

The urgency in her mother’s voice raised fear. “What’s happening?”

“We’ve been betrayed. An army surrounds the henge. Your father and I believe the secret of the openings in the walls is known to force us to use our powers for their ends.”

“Who has done this? Do I know the enemy’s smell? Have I seen his face?”

“Several years ago, your father’s step-brother came to the henge. He’s one of those who stand against us.”

Ash thought about her step-uncle. His face slipped into her thoughts. Prince Zedron had brought gifts for her and her siblings. He’d seemed nice, but she had a vague memory of hearing voices—his and her parents’—raised in argument.

Why would he want to destroy the henge? When Papa had shown affinities for the elements, he’d given up his claim to Wesren. Zedron of the House Wesren had been named prince. As well as being papa’s step-brother, they were distant cousins.

Ash grasped her mother’s hand. “Why did he send the army here? Doesn’t he know what you and Papa do?”

“He doesn’t believe or care. Greed, envy and a lust to rule where once four henges held the land in balance drive him. He doesn’t act alone. Your father and I fear he’s aided by one of the Doms.”

“Kin?”

“The one I suspect has no ties of kinship to us.”

“Why not someone from the low lands?”

Her mother sighed. “Though at times, those with affinities like your father are born in the low lands, I believe someone from the high lands has allied with darkness.”

Ash swallowed. “Why would anyone who could do good want to do evil? Where are the people of the henge? Their scents are gone.”

“Away to safety.”

“Mama, what will we do?” Ash caught the edge of a thought and feared the Doma’s answer. She held back tears and hoped she’d misheard. After all, her talents was just emerging, as were those of her siblings.

Ash and her twin would celebrate their fourteenth name day on Winter Day. Her younger siblings had seen their twelfth on Summer Day. How could they stand against one whose talents were fully developed?

“You and your siblings will leave the henge.”

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Wednesday Gemini Sagittarius Connection #MFRWHooks #BooksWeLoveLTD #Medical #Romance

Join me along with other terrific writers as we present some bits of stories for you to read. My book is a medical romance. Click here:   http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com  

BLURB:
Gemini Liz seems to be following her sign. She's the mother of twin boys, she'd returned to Eastlake for the second time and she's taking her second position as a nurse manager. She feels moving from the city will be good for her sons who sometimes choose the wrong friends. What Liz doesn't want is a second husband. The death of her fireman husband made him a hero but devastated her life. She had to return to work and become a single mother. Fortunately her father-in-law has stepped in to care for the boys but he wants to retire to Florida. Though she's attracted to Jeff she wants to deny the attraction. Jeff is a Sagittarian who often suffers from the foot in mouth disease. His wife died years ago but she was the perfect wife and he has no desire to fall in love or marry again. As a neurosurgeon he sees Liz a lot since she is the nurse manager of the ortho/neuro unit at the hospital. He also wants to deny the attraction and finds it harder and harder. Can a pair of mischievous boys find a way to help their mother and the doctor find love again?

SoCalBook Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsA Gemini Myself

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EXCERPT:

After doing a complete examination of the patient, he returned to the nurses' station. The young woman looked up. "Is he all right?"

"Yes, and thanks for your quick action." He opened the chart. "Can I borrow your pen?"

Another nurse laughed. "Dr. Carter, surely you can afford to buy your own."

"I do, but they walk." He scrawled a note. "One more thing. If you ever have a problem reading my orders, call my office or my home."

"Mrs. Forbes doesn't allow anyone except her to make outside calls."

He handed her the chart. "Making calls to doctors when there's a question about an order or a patient's condition is standard procedure."

The girl nodded. "Yes, sir."

"By Monday you won't have to worry about Mrs. Forbes' rules. The new nurse manager will be here."

"If she stays. Mrs. Forbes says no one else wants the job."

Jeff frowned. Was Delores planning to blindside her replacement? Even if she succeeded, he'd see she wasn't given the position. He wheeled and left the unit. In the hall, he collided with his daughter.

"More gray hairs, Dad. You look ready to go on a rampage."

"Don't ask. Megan, why didn't you take the position as nurse manager on my unit?"

When she laughed her golden curls bounced. "Bad enough my big brother can order me around, but my father . . . . Please. So what happened?"

"Another incident, and this time it could have been serious."

"Your handwriting, I bet."

He shook his head. "No matter what it looks like, I didn't write the order."

"Why don't you print?"

"Don't be a smart mouth. Never learned how."

She put her hand on his arm. "Computers will solve the problem. You know most of the units are already using them? This one should be next."

"I don't have time to learn how to work one."

"That's right, you're ancient. Fifty-one in December." Her blue eyes sparkled with laughter. "They're simple. Just think, you could type your orders, and no one would complain. You wouldn't have to dictate reports or scrawl progress notes only you can read."

He shook his head. "Not sure handwriting's totally at fault. Why would a nurse manager forbid her staff to make outside calls?"

"To keep them from making personal calls on hospital time."

"Even to a doctor? One would have prevented the latest incident."

She frowned. "What are you saying?"

He shrugged. "Not sure yet. See you at dinner."

"Won't be there. The gang's helping Liz move in."

"Who's Liz?"

"The woman who's going to solve all your problems."

The gleam in her eyes alarmed him. "Megan."

"Dad, she's the new nurse manager. We're helping her move into Laurel's house."

"Why Laurel bought that house still puzzles me."

"To prove a point to my thick-headed brother." She turned. "Don't you remember Liz? She's one of the Grantley gang. You talked to her at Laurel's housewarming."

Jeff frowned. He'd brought ice cream. There'd been a tall woman with long dark hair. They'd spoken for a few minutes. She'd seemed shy. "Was she at the wedding?"

Megan shook her head. "She had to work. Trust Laurel not to give her friends much lead time."

Suspicions leaped into his thoughts. "Is this woman married?"

"She's a single mother with nine-year-old twin sons. She was the oldest member of our group."

"I'll pass on the festivities." He met her gaze. Spare me from a matchmaking daughter. He refused to be her next victim. He'd spent eleven years running from women with marriage on their minds. He didn't need another wife. The one he'd had had been perfect.

"Your choice." Megan backed away.

"I'll give her time to settle in."

Megan laughed. "So you won't confront her 'til Monday afternoon." She turned to leave. "You're not the most patient of men. Just make sure you don't put your foot in your mouth."

He stared after her. What did she mean by that?