Oct 7 2024

I Wish You Were Here – Ch2

Chapter Two

“Good morning,” she replied with a smile, studying his face on the screen. His grey eyes with dark flecks, the dimple in his left cheek, the tiny scar on his chin, all reminded her of her dream. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering the feeling of his arms wrapped tightly around her.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, as she turned back to the coffee maker to make her morning cup. The toast popped up, so she put it on a plate and slathered it in strawberry jam. There was no butter because she hadn’t been food shopping recently.
She shrugged. “Okay, I guess. I had too much wine last night.”
He chuckled. “Ah, so feeling a little rough now?” He frowned. “Isn’t it getting late there? Shouldn’t you be getting to work?”
Rebecca never worked on her birthday, it was the one day every year that she held sacred. But she didn’t want to mention her birthday and make him feel bad for forgetting, again. She stirred milk into her coffee and turned back to her laptop. “I’m taking the day off, I need to get caught up on a few things.”
He was still frowning, unsure whether to believe her. She needed to change the subject, fast.
“I dreamt about you again,” she said, sipping her coffee and sitting at the breakfast bar so she could devote her whole attention to him.
His eyebrows raised. “A good dream, I hope?”
She grinned. “It was lovely. We were spooning, just holding each other. I could smell you, feel you, hear you. I didn’t want to wake up.” She sighed. “But I’d forgotten to turn off my alarm.”
“I wish I really were there, holding you,” he said. Though he didn’t show his emotions much, she could hear a hint of sadness in his voice.
“Me too,” she replied, her eyes filling with tears despite her promise to herself that she would not cry on her birthday. She bit into her rapidly cooling toast, and chewed slowly, trying to focus on the taste and distract herself.
“So what have you got planned for today?” he asked, sensing it was his turn to change the subject.
“Oh, just some bits of shopping,” she said, wiping her mouth with a piece of kitchen towel. “I also need to tidy the house and do some paperwork.” Though she didn’t work on her birthday, she also didn’t really do much to celebrate, either. Not since he had gone away. Mostly, she just did her best not to wallow in self-pity of being alone.
“I hope you find some joy,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
It was a silly game that they used to play. Each day, they would challenge each other to find the joy, and then report back that evening. She found it slightly annoying, especially when she was having a particularly bad day, but he had been insistent on the ritual. Even after he left, when they spoke each day, he would ask her what joy she had found each day. As irritating as it sometimes was, it did make her more aware of the tiny things that gave her hope, or made her smile. She had no doubt that doing so had helped her through the dark times. Not that she would admit that to him, of course.
She rolled her eyes at him, unable to see how she would find joy in a birthday without him, but before she could reply with a sarcastic comment, the doorbell rang and she frowned.
“Someone is at the door,” she said, putting her cup down and starting to close the laptop.
“I’ll wait,” he said quickly.
“Okay,” she said, lowering the lid slightly but not closing down the program. She got up and went to the door. She wasn’t expecting any deliveries or visitors, so she was a little apprehensive. She really hoped that her family hadn’t decided to surprise her, she had told them explicitly that she wanted to spend the day at home, doing nothing. She didn’t think she could cope with the polite small talk she would be forced to take part in.
She opened the door a crack, and found herself looking at a huge bunch of flowers with legs sticking out underneath.
“Mrs Green?” the bouquet said.
Rebecca frowned. “Yes?” She opened the door wider and the flowers were thrust at her.
“Happy Birthday!” the woman said, turning away and walking back down the driveway before Rebecca could utter a thanks.
Slightly stunned, she carried the massive bouquet into the kitchen, and set them down on the counter. Nestled amongst the bright, fragrant blooms was a tiny envelope. She opened it and slipped the card out. In an unfamiliar script, it simply said, ‘Happy Birthday, Bex. xx’
There was only one person who called her Bex, but how…?
She went back over to her laptop and opened the lid fully again. He was still there, patiently waiting for her.
“How did you do this?” she whispered.
He smiled. “Happy birthday, my love. Did you really think I would forget your big one?”
She chuckled, and wiped a tear away. “You always used to forget my birthdays.”
He shook his head. “I was terrible at remembering things, it’s true. But it was the least I could do, to remind you how much I love you.”
Hearing those words, the tears began to flow freely. She still had no idea how he had remembered, or how he had managed to arrange such a beautiful surprise, but she was glad he had. The prospect of celebrating her 40th birthday alone didn’t seem quite so bad now.

This is the second chapter in a brand new story that I am posting here on my blog as I write it. (Chapter One is here.) It is not finished, it is not edited, and I don’t know if it will be a book, but I wanted to try something new with my writing, so if you have enjoyed this chapter or are intrigued enough to want to read on, please do email me or comment!

Oct 2 2024

I Wish You Were Here

Chapter One

“I wish we could stay here like this, forever.”
His arms tightened around her and she could feel his warm breath in her hair.
“Me too,” he whispered. “Let’s not get up just yet.”
She snuggled deeper into his embrace, and breathed in his familiar scent, and felt his steady heart beat at her back. They fit together perfectly, and had always fit, from the moment they’d met.
She remembered every moment of their very first date. The way he told her stories of his adventures, trying to impress her. But she was just mesmerised by his smile, by the way he nervously tapped his foot under the table, and by the way he said her name.
“What are you thinking?” he asked softly.
She smiled, he always could read her mind. “I was thinking of our first date. Of how I loved you from that very first moment.”
“Oh,” he said. “That’s not how I remember it. I remember falling for you from the moment I saw you smile, but as I recall, you took a few hours?”
She giggled. “Okay, okay, maybe it wasn’t from the very first moment. But I knew that you were going to change my life from that first moment.”
He sighed. “I wish I had changed it for the better.”
She turned in his arms to face him, and lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. “You did,” she insisted softly. “My life was and is so much better for knowing you.”
He smiled and kissed her, and she closed her eyes to savour the feeling of his lips on hers. He pulled back slightly.
“I’ll be right back,” he whispered.
Before she could open her eyes, he was gone. She stared the empty side of the bed, and reached out to touch his cold pillow.
“Hurry back,” she whispered.

* * *

The insistent beeping of the alarm clock made Rebecca groan. Why hadn’t she remembered to switch it off? She didn’t need to be up so early today, in fact, she had planned on not leaving her bed at all.
She switched off the alarm, then turned over and reached out to touch the empty side of the bed. Despite hoping desperately, he had not returned for the rest of the night. She closed her eyes to remember the feeling of his arms wrapped around her, his scent enveloping her, but the memory was already fading away.
A tear escaped from her eye and soaked into his pillow. She would have given anything, she would have sold her soul, just to have him come in through the door in that very moment, with a tray of tea and toast, wishing her happy birthday with a bunch of fresh flowers from the garden, because he had forgotten to plan ahead and buy anything. She always forgave him for forgetting though.
Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, all had passed by without much fanfare, as he was never one to celebrate much. But it didn’t matter as long as he was there with a cheeky grin, a warm hug, and a long kiss. She could never stay mad at him.
Just as she couldn’t feel mad at him for not being there now.
The sunlight flickered around the edge of the blackout curtains, reminding her that the world still existed outside, and that perhaps she should go out and join it, or at least open the curtains and let it in, but she rarely did that anymore. The darkness suited her better, demanded less of her, allowed her to wallow in her sadness.
Limbs protesting, her head aching, her tired brain wishing that she had not drunk the entire bottle of wine the previous night, Rebecca got out of bed and stumbled to her wardrobe. Instead of opening her side, she gravitated towards his, and opened the door, wishing that she had been less on top of the laundry, that there were still items that carried his scent, that she could wear or wrap around herself like a protective cloak, keeping the rest of the world away forever.
Only a few pieces of clothing remained, hung neatly on hangers. She touched the sleeve of his favourite flannel shirt, and lifted it to her nose, inhaling deeply. Disappointment swirled in her stomach as she smelled the scent of their washing powder. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to remember his scent from her dream, or from her memories, but though she could remember how it made her feel, she couldn’t remember the exact scent itself.
Sighing, she closed his wardrobe and took the dressing gown from her own, wrapping it around her thin frame, before slipping her feet into her favourite slippers and going out to the small kitchen.
She ignored her phone on the counter, knowing that there would be dozens of messages from friends and family, wishing her a happy birthday. Though she appreciated them, it wasn’t them she wanted to hear from, that she needed to hear from.
She filled the coffee machine and switched it on, then put two slices of slightly stale bread into the toaster. It wasn’t quite the breakfast in bed she had wished for, but it would be something close. All that was missing was the flowers from the garden, and the cheeky smile.
Still ignoring her phone, Rebecca took her tea and toast and sat at the breakfast bar, and opened her laptop. Before she could convince herself that it was a bad idea, she found the icon on the desktop and double clicked.
A blue screen popped up, and she hit the green button. A few seconds later, his face filled the screen. Her heart nearly stopped as he looked directly at her and smiled.
“Good morning, my love.”

This is the first chapter in a brand new story that I am posting here on my blog as I write it. It is not finished, it is not edited, and I don’t know if it will be a book, but I wanted to try something new with my writing, so if you have enjoyed this chapter or are intrigued enough to want to read on, please do email me or comment!

May 15 2017

Gallery

The Twin Flame Rebellion

This gallery contains 4 photos.

The eighth book in the Earth Angel Series is now available for pre-order on Kindle! When you pre-order, it will magically appear on your device on the day of release, which is the 9th June! The paperback editions, in the … Continue reading →

May 1 2017

Gallery

An Earth Angel Makeover

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Hello! Before you ask, no, it’s not me whose had a makeover! The Earth Angel Series has! While the books are currently available on Amazon, and in bookstores in the US, they weren’t available in bookstores in the UK or … Continue reading →

Apr 9 2017

Gallery

Cover Reveal for Book 8 in the Earth Angel Series!

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Hello beautiful Earth Angel! I am so very excited to post this today, I am still in the editing process for book 8, but the cover is ready and I am desperate to share it with you, so, drumroll please! … Continue reading →

Oct 18 2014

The Writer’s Blog Tour

A big thank you to the lovely Lisa Fuqua, who invited me to take part in this Blog Tour, you can read Lisa’s post here.

So here is my contribution to the tour, I will be nominating two writers to continue the thread at the end!

What am I currently working on?

My work in progress is the latest novel in the Earth Angel series, which I have called The Twin Flame Reunion. It is not a sequel as such, but a missing piece from The Earth Angel Awakening. It follows the reunions of five Twin Flame couples, as they Awaken, reunite, and go through the struggles that so many Twin Flames are going through at the moment. As usual, I had no idea what I was going to write, or what was going to happen, and as the words flow through me, I am amazed at how the characters and events are coming together, and how much they are mirroring my own experiences at this very moment. I can’t wait to see where the story goes, and in turn, what effect that has on my life, as quite often, what I write in my books comes true in real life…

How does my work differ from others in my genre?

My genre, that of Spiritual or Visionary Fiction, is a fairly undeveloped genre at the moment, though it is growing daily. I think that my books are a little different because I am not creating the stories – I am mostly channelling them. The stories come through me, not from me. Though my own experiences come into them, the overall plot and the characters come to me when I sit down to write. It feels more like I am describing a memory or writing what I can see in another dimension than actually making it up. And that can be a scary process, because I really just have to trust that the next part of the story will arrive, and that it will all make sense, and will be interesting and readable. My last book, I’m Here, was co-written with a spirit, and that was tough for me, because though it was easy to channel his words, I had to really push myself to write my side of the story, which was really hard work!

Why do I write what I do?

I don’t think I could write anything else, because when I sit down to write, the words come through and it’s not always in my control. I think my books contain messages and stories that people need to read or hear. And they are also my way of dealing with being in the world. From the feedback I’ve had so far, they have helped many people to figure out who they are, and what their purpose on Earth is. Which is why I keep writing. Because who knows how many people the next book will help?

How does my writing process work?

I have a netbook that I write my novels on, and I use Scrivener to write them in, because I love the folder system, the corkboards and the automatic backup, which has saved my sanity and soul many times. I usually sit on my bed, or in a cafe or even in parks to write, and I like to set crazy deadlines, Nanowrimo-style, to get me motivated to finish them in time. I sometimes have a scene or a concept in my mind, but mostly, I just put my fingers to the keyboard and see what comes through. If I think too much, then I get in the way of the words, and I stop flow, and if that happens, the best thing I can do is to close the computer down, walk away from it and do something completely different. I like to have music playing that sets the right tone for what I am writing. Sometime I will get stuck on a single song, and I will play it on repeat so it becomes almost like white noise, blocking the rest of the world out.

So that’s me! I nominate the following two fabulous writers to continue the Writer’s Blog Tour, and invite them to tell us about their writing.

Rebecca Pillsbury

Though one of her childhood fantasies was to have superhuman powers that allowed her to travel instantaneously around the globe—or at the very least, fly—it is Rebecca’s distinctly human persona that causes strangers and dogs alike to want to be her new best friend. With a commitment to spreading joy and inspiring others to let go of shame and let shine their light, Rebecca unabashedly reveals her own vulnerability so that others may feel safe exploring their own.

Even as a young child growing up in Wisconsin, Rebecca found solace in writing stories, drawing inspiration from faraway places. Her wanderlust was fed as a young adult via worldwide pen-pal relationships, which gave way to her own international travels in her adult life. It was during her travels that she was exposed to new spiritual guides, paving the path for her journey-inspired transformational writing. Rather than simply leading readers to travel vicariously through her stories, however, she inspires readers to write their own stories.

Rebecca currently resides in Portland, Oregon, though you may not find her there year-round—a vagabond spirit cannot be tamed. You could look for her frolicking in forests or careening on rocks by the sea, but you’ll have better luck following her via her blog or on Facebook.

Lori Lesko

Lori Lesko was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She began dancing when she was five and acting at 13. She studied photography for a year at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated college with a degree in Psychology and Theater. She directed, acted, choreographed and stage managed several plays while attending school.

She loves to travel and has been to France and Ireland. She adapted her first book, a Novella called Our Daughters, into a Screenplay now titled Diamond City. She lives in Florida with her two dogs. She has worked as an editor for ten years at a financial publishing company.

She has just published her first novel titled COPYRIGHT a psychological thriller.

Jul 4 2014

The Elphite Audio Book

For quite some time now, I have been asked for the audio book versions of my books, for people who either find it difficult to read ebooks/paperbacks or for people who like to listen to audio books while travelling, and though it seemed like a good idea, I have not got my head around doing it, until now.

It was mostly the technical side that put me off, as you are aware, being an Indie Author means doing pretty much everything for yourself, and the idea of recording, narrating, editing and uploading entire books just seemed a bit beyond me. But recently I managed to work out a way to do it myself, and so I have recorded, edited and uploaded the first chapter of The Elphite to SoundCloud, to see what feedback I get on it. If it’s positive (or at least constructive!) then I will continue recording and upload it and sell it on Amazon.

So here it is, the Prologue and first Chapter, please let me know what you think!

Apr 30 2014

The Visionary Collection Cover Reveal!

I just can’t wait any longer to show off my shiny new covers for the Visionary Collection! Aren’t they beautiful? They were designed by the fabulous madappledesigns, and I really couldn’t be happier. I am working on the formatting at the moment, so the first three books in the collection (Heaven dot com, The Doorway to PAM and The Elphite) will be available with the new covers on Kindle and in paperback by the end of May, along with the release of my brand new novel – I’m Here.

The full covers for the print copies:

Apr 7 2014

Kindred Spirit Awards

I received an email to ks_awards_2014 day from one of my readers, to say that they had just nominated me for ‘Spiritual Writer’ in the Kindred Spirit Awards. There are 6 awards, and for each category, there is a list of nominees, then a box labelled ‘other’. She entered my name in the ‘other’ box, and suggested that I reach out to my readers and ask them to do the same!

I must admit, when I saw the other names nominated in the category, I felt like it would be silly to even try to compete, but even to just be nominated means a lot to me, and I want to ask you, that if you feel like you have benefited in any way from reading my words, whether its my novels or my blog, then you will vote for me, and bring my work to the awareness of even more people. Because that is why I write, to help as many people as possible.

So, the link to vote is here, on the Kindred Spirit website, and the deadline to vote has been extended to the 30th April. If you feel that my work deserves the award, then please do nominate me, and also vote for the other amazing people and organisations in the other categories too.

Thank you so much, for you love and support, it means a lot to me. And thank you, Helen, for nominating me first!

Apr 1 2014

5 Years Ago Today…

… I was sat in JFK airport, waiting to board a flight back home. And it was while sat in the waiting area that I got a notebook out and started to write The Earth Angel Training Academy. I wrote the first 900 words in that notebook, then wrote the rest of the book in the two months following, on my old laptop that had no ‘L’ key.

The handwritten beginning of The Earth Angel Training Academy

I still have my original notes from before I began writing. Most of my ideas didn’t make it into the final book. Once I started writing, I really had no control over the story, or the characters. I was merely a bystander, writing down what they were doing and saying.

After those initial two months of writing, it took me a further two years to edit it and get it into print, after a brief attempt at entering the traditional publishing world. Originally, I called the book ‘The Angels Calling’ and even printed and hand-bound in leather a copy for my dad. After a handful of rejections, I decided to take the Indie route, having used print on demand services to publish Heaven Dot Com back in 2007.

The first edition of The Earth Angel Training Academy was published and launched in July 2011, at the Heart of the Dragon Festival in West Wales.

Original Cover

New Cover

Since writing the book, I have actually met several of the characters in real life, including Shelly, the mermaid, who I met in California last year.

In November 2010, I wrote The Earth Angel Awakening, which I then published in the summer of 2012. Then just last year, I wrote and published The Other Side.

In some ways, it feels like a lifetime since I wrote those first words in JFK, and in others, it feels like just yesterday. As you can see from my scribbles, Velvet was originally called Mulberry. Because the lady sat opposite me in the waiting lounge was wearing mulberry-coloured shoes. I can still see her shoes, and hear the noise of the airport, and see the planes taking off. Though I had been writing for many years by that point, and had self-published my novella, that moment in the airport was the very beginning of my journey as an independently published author, and a visionary fiction novelist. And in that moment in time, I had absolutely no idea what the next five years would bring. There have been awesome times, crappy times, frustrating times and absolutely ecstatic times. And I wouldn’t change a single moment, because it has all brought me to where I am right now.

Do you remember where you were five years ago today?