I’m pleased to welcome author Louann Carroll to the blog today! She has a great post to share.
Thank you, Cindy, for inviting me onto your blog today. I generally blog about my books or what’s going on in my life, but this time I’m trying something a little different. I have Kate Kelly, from Gemini Rising, and Kellyn O’Brien from A Shadow of Time, meeting in a bar to discuss their ongoing concerns with their creator.
Once again, thank you for the opportunity.
Kellyn O’Brien stepped out of her car, the rain whiplashing the roof of the old hotel to her side. She’d stolen a few moments for herself and had agreed to meet Kate, a fellow main character, at a bar their creator had made. She hurried inside, letting the door slam shut behind her. Shucking her coat, she glanced across the room. An attractive blonde-haired woman sat on a stool at the far end of the bar. Obviously startled, the woman turned to look at her, blue eyes piercing. Kellyn hurried over, pulled out a bar stool and sat down.
She said the first thing that came to her mind. “I hear you’re a whiner.”
Kate laughed, flicking her hair over one shoulder. “That’s what our so-called writer wants to make me. In fact, I’m strong and getting stronger every day. You know what I mean?”
Nervous, Kellyn looked away. This woman was not the mealy-mouthed creature she’d thought to expect. But then, she wasn’t the same either. The author of their creation didn’t realize that what she wrote in a book went on to fruition in another dimension. At least that’s how Adam explained it when her consciousness didn’t end after the telling of the story, A Shadow of Time.
She frowned, saying, “Yeah, I get that.” She glanced at the waitress. “An Appletini, please?” She shifted a little then bent down and snugged up a boot. She had a matching set of kitchen knives tucked into the neck of her Uggs. “I’m not as clumsy as she says, either.” She continued under her breath, “At least not anymore.”
Kate grinned. “I’m glad you decided to meet me for a drink. I have so many complaints about the way we’ve been represented. Like, when was the last time she really looked at me? In case she hasn’t noticed, I’ve grown.”
“Me, too.” Kellyn looked up, wondering if Kate subscribed to Adam’s theory. Glancing around, she found the bar cozy—like a neighborhood tavern they had in the sixties. The walls, painted a bright pink, were offset by the wood of the bar shining a dark mahogany and smooth with age. Cigarette smoke tinged the air. There was even a jukebox in the corner playing something about broken hearts. She could relate.
She asked, “When did your book come out?”
“A few years ago. I know she’s working on the next one in the series, but she’s taking long enough.”
Kellyn took the drink from the server and sipped before speaking. “She has been sick and she did write another novel right after mine. Redemption is its name. In any case, I’m a stand-alone. No series here.”
“How come?” Kate tipped back a shot of Irish whiskey and downed it. “Can I have another?” she asked the barmaid.
“Coming right up.” The woman shuffled down the walkway. She passed the kegs, the bottles, and the one bag of nuts hanging crookedly on metal slats. Dust sprinkled the air as she moved.
Running her fingers around the rim of her glass, Kate added, “The writer got the title of my book, Gemini Rising, from the Gemini Observatory. That was the first place that noticed the comet. I get that the world ended and all, but right now she has me in the middle of a war with a bunch of screwy angels. I mean, it would have been nice if she’d stopped the telling with me and the kids reunited with Noah.”
Kellyn straightened and winked. “I heard he’s a hunk.” She’d seen a picture of him in the creator’s mind. Dark hair framed a face of chiseled perfection. And his eyes…
Blushing, Kate picked up the shot the server plunked down before her. “That he is.” She tipped back another one. “It would be nice to see him once in a while.”
Kellyn wondered if the color on Kate’s face was for Noah or the alcohol she was downing. “Do you always drink so much?”
“No. In fact, I don’t drink at all.”
“Then you’d better be careful.” Kellyn glanced at her watch. She’d left Scott with Leanore. He was just three and tended not to do well away from her. Besides, there was the house to consider, Shadow Ley. That miserable gothic mess that haunted her steps as well as her mind.
Kate sighed. “I heard you inherited a mansion. Must be nice. All I got was a place in the Olam.”
“Where’s that?” Interested, Kellyn put her worries aside.
“It’s the home of the angels—where worlds are created.”
“I’ve enough trouble with the one I have. Shadow Ley is haunted.”
“I’ve heard. Shenahobet is it?”
“Yeah, a djinn. Somehow we got our dimensions mixed up.” She cocked her head. “I have no idea where the creator came up with that one.”
Kate flicked a finger at the bartender, indicating another shot. “She has a wicked imagination.”
“What happened between you and Noah?” Kellyn had heard that he’d saved Kate from death and whisked her from Earth.
“He was thrown out of the Olam. We’re bond mates and since we share emotion, and I wasn’t ready for the responsibility, he was asked to leave by Michael.”
“Who’s Michael?” Kellyn noted Kate’s drawn brow, the determination in her eyes.
“An archangel.”
“You don’t like him?”
“No. Well, in some respects he’s okay.” She glanced over. “What about John Aldrich? I heard you have the hots for him.”
Kellyn frowned, feeling a little insulted. “I’m in love and that’s not the same as having the hots, at least not in my world. You see, we share the same nightmares. They’re from another dimension—another life. Shenahobet is freakin deranged and it’s out to destroy my family.” She finished the rest of her Appletini in a single gulp.
“Another?” The waitress appeared—an unnoticed intrusion.
“Please.” Wary of strangers, Kellyn kept an eye on her. Shenahobet could take many forms. Her hand crept down to the knife in her boot.
“I’ll get her someday.”
Kellyn glanced back at Kate. “Who?”
“That woman—the author—the one you call the creator. How dare she take liberties with our lives!”
The bar door slammed opened. In walked a frail old woman, her dress dragging on the floor, apron stained with mold. A sense of disgust filled Kellyn as she recognized the djinn. Her hand, like quicksilver, brought up a knife. She glanced at Kate and thought of her son while nodding her head in agreement.
Gemini Rising
In the beginning was the Light. And the Light was good. From the Light came all manner of civilizations spreading across the universe. Only human beings chose to come to know the Light on their own. For this, the Light loved them best. There is also darkness, a creature so filled with jealously; it vows to destroy the human race. Created by the Light for Its own purpose, Belial keeps the planets in place.
Over 5,000 years ago, Sumerian stone tablets warn future civilizations on Earth about the coming of Nibiru. The 10th planet will cross the planet’s orbit, turning the axis by 90 degrees.The Gemini Observatory in Hawaii has discovered a comet on its way to Earth. Some say it’s a left over fragment of the big bang. Others say it heralds the end of time.
Jason Kelly, a renowned archaeologist, rips his wife Kate and their ten year-old son from their home in San Francisco. Off to a dig outside of Sedona, Arizona, Kate must make her way in the hot, dry, desert. She misses the fog, the lights, the sounds of people, until one night, a UFO appears in the sky.
A Shadow of Time
Consumed by a childhood filled with terror and pain, Kellyn O’Brien strives to create the perfect family. Then, disaster strikes. Her husband is dead. Three weeks later, she discovers her son is heir to Shadow Ley, a nineteenth century estate located in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Still reeling from Michael’s death, Kellyn moves to Shadow Ley. Soon after her arrival, the ordinary becomes the extraordinary: broken drinking glasses repair themselves, stair rails that were once old are now new, and suddenly the estate of Shadow Ley is not what it seems.
She turns to the local historian and hears the tale of Shenahobet, the portal guardian, and the Hutto-pah, a tribe of Native Americans related to the Maya. She meets John, a doctor, who experiences visions of other times and places. Her dreams turn into nightmares with windows into past lives, hints of multidimensionality, and the promise of life beyond death.
Legends abound and so Shadow Ley, the home Kellyn had hoped would bring peace to herself and her children, becomes mired first in doubt, then in terror, and finally in love eternal.
Biography
Louann loves to hear from people who read her books. You can reach her by email or visit her website.
Cindy Young-Turner 