Holy smokes! I haven't written in forever and a new Doctor is on the horizon!

I am sorry it's been so long!  Summer hits and suddenly all free time goes out the door. It's difficult juggling 5 year old and writing. It seems the five year old won this time. Not much going on, still working on the time travel. I realize I need to flesh out the ending more (and that keeps me in line with getting 80,000 words).

Summer also saw the end of our current Doctor in Doctor Who. It is a shame; I was really starting to like him. Glad to hear the next Doctor will be a woman. She'll get into the same great adventures as the previous Doctors, so I'm not worried one bit.

Tears for Fears LIVE!!!

I got to see one of my favorite 80's bands, Tears for Fears, on May 21st at the Louisville Palace. I'd never been to the Palace before, and I absolutely adored the place! It is amazing inside. Our seats were in row D, and pretty close to the stage. And they rocked!

The opening act was the back-up singer for TFF. She was a good singer and even a little funny. She had us all laughing, but I was ready for what I came there for!  Bring on the band to play my most favorite song of my most favorite movie - "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" from Real Genius. I know, cheesy, but still my favorite (other than Better Off Dead).


Roland and Curt - then



Roland and Curt - now

They opened with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," closed with "Shout." Roland sang the "Creep" cover from Radiohead. An acoustic version of "Mad World" was great. They sang a total of sixteen songs, but I loved every minute of it.

I really hope one day I will be able to see them again. It ranked up with one of the highest concerts I've seen and was sorry to have to leave the Palace. What an awesome time!

Doctor Who: Extremis

Finally!  It has been revealed why Nardole has the authority (and gumption) to talk to the Doctor in such a manner. I like Nardole, but it has really irked me why he continually talked to the Doctor as if he'd known him forever. Of course, as a Time Lord, I guess it could be possible Nardole did know him forever.

Nardole, The Doctor, & Bill
Courtesy of Threeifbyspace.net

Thank you, River Song!

It was good to see Missy again (almost like an evil, troublemaking old friend, but still good!). I was thinking she was the one behind the door. Then you add the Pope, Vatican priests, ancient texts that drives people insane, alternate computer universes, oh, yeah, the Doctor is blind!

And then there were these guys ...

Courtesy of mirror.co.uk

Terrifying aliens out to create simulations and make trouble. So, I will have to wait until next week to see what happens.

Well, bring it on! I am looking forward to it!

Doctor Who: Zombies in Space

Really, zombies in space is almost as good as dinosaurs on a spaceship, but I didn't cry in "Oxygen," like I did with Matt Smith's 2012 adventure. The humans in the latest Doctor Who's episode fared about as good as the dinosaurs, though. I knew dead people walking around outside a spacecraft was probably not a good sign!

Matt Smith, Queen Nefertiti and others find dinosaurs!
Courtesy of BBC One

Bill and Nardole join the Doctor, and they come to the rescue of soon-to-be oxygen deprived individuals. The numbers aren't in their favor. I loved Bill's reaction to the blue man, and I am really liking her so much! She's still making smart decisions, and her reactions are believable.

Not exactly walking dead, but still dead
Courtesy of BBC One

Still! Who is in the vault? Obviously someone who is a good piano player. Nardole obviously doesn't know the Doctor has visited whoever is behind the door. I did appreciate the tidbit in which Nardole stated it was the Doctor that directed him to be such a stick in the mud when it came to the Doctor going on adventures that took him away from the vault.

I can see the writers are starting to weave in Capaldi's departure from the show. It figures he is starting to grow on me AFTER he made the decision to leave the show.

Thank you, Seabound! The song that inspired the book

So, years ago I stumbled across a song that talked to me so much it inspired a book. Well, the song, plus really bad ice pick headaches. I took the song in an entirely different direction than it probably was meant to go, but my strange brain pictured something truly dark ... and spooky.

Seabound is a German electronic band, and one of my all-time favorite bands to dance to in my youth. Their song "Poisonous Friend" intrigued me, and it seemed the more I listened to it, the more the story of A Bequest of Blood came to light.

Elizabeth Bathory is the poisonous friend, and Ella has no idea the spirit of a serial killer inhabits her body, just waiting for the right moment to strike. The insecurity drew me in. I wanted a killer with "cold eyes and no restraint." That was Elizabeth, reputed killer of possibly 650 victims (mostly young women).

Elizabeth Bathory
Courtesy of Wikipedia.com



I thought this would be the last I see of Elizabeth after the book completed, but it seems she isn't finished. I began a sequel that will travel with her companions as they try to complete their mission to bring back The Blood Countess. So, I got to bring out Seabound and "Poisonous Friend" for more inspiration!  I can't wait to see where this new set of characters will take me.

Chapter 1 sample of time travel novel

Okay ...  I am going to attempt to post Chapter 1 of my newest novel that is still being edited, but I would love some feedback on if you would be tempted to continue on to the next chapter. This is a time travel adventure novel. Stay tuned!  Soon I will be doing a main character introduction. I would love feedback (good) or (cringe)bad).

CHAPTER ONE

Present day

Holland Mills stared at the computer in front of her. Things weren’t adding up. Taking another look at her dual screens, she compared the information to her spreadsheet. She was off by three people. Out of six hundred and fifty-nine. She’d already been working on this report for two hours, and she wanted to beat her head on her desk.

Three measly people! She almost wished it would have been off by fifty. It would have been easier to figure out where she went wrong. She clicked on the report option on the top of her dashboard and waited for the information to reload.

Again.

Her phone rang, and Holland quickly looked at the caller. Jacob Jones from another campus was calling. She could barely get her own work done without worrying about his never-ending issues. She continued to stare at the ringing phone, deciding to not do the professional thing and answer it. She let it keep ringing. She would call him first thing tomorrow.

“Holland!” a voice called out to her, causing her to jump in her chair.

Sara, her office mate, swiveled her dark gray chair around and stood.

Holland looked at the woman, who was almost her exact age of thirty-one, and smiled. “Sara!” Holland called out in the same tone that Sara had used.

“Let’s take a break. The Wellness Center has a labyrinth set up in one of the rooms. It’s supposed to be a stress reliever, and from the way you were sighing and abusing your mouse, I would say you need a break.”

Holland smiled at her friend. “Okay,” she confessed, as she gave her monitor a dirty look. “I could use a step back from this.”

Nodding, Sara walked out of their small office, and Holland followed. The room used for the labyrinth was in Room 118, an all-purpose space that boasted employee baby showers to quarterly financial planning meetings. Today, the lights were turned out, and small tea light candles lit the room. The flickers of the candles cast eerie shadows across the room. A white plastic floor mat was laid out in the middle of the room and dark lines were printed on the material in a circular pattern.

The Wellness Center employee, aptly named Joy, greeted each. “Sara and Holland, welcome! I haven’t seen you at our Labyrinth before. I am so glad you could make it,” the counselor gushed.

Holland and Sara smiled at Joy. “It’s usually so busy, but we thought we’d take the time today to see what this was all about.”

Joy started in on a general description of the labyrinth and how it was utilized. “Oh, you are going to love walking this! You will feel so relaxed! Clear your mind, and let your feet lead the way” were the simple instructions.

Feeling foolish, Holland took off her shoes and set them on the outside of the thirty-by-thirty-foot circle. She wasn’t a fan of yoga, or tai chi, or any of those other “new age” movements, but she would try to give this some serious consideration for improving her mood. On a plus side, maybe when she returned to her desk, her report would mysteriously be correct! With a deep clearing breath, she slowly took a step forward. Seconds ticked by, and she felt a strange lassitude settle over her. It was almost as if something was welcoming her home. A feeling of rightness flowed through her, and no matter how she tried to push it away, it seemed to fill her.

Holland stopped thinking about how crazy she looked walking in a tiny circle, barefoot, while at work. A small shock vibrated up through her feet with each step, and her mind became sharpened down to one thought: the labyrinth. She carefully stepped around the predetermined pattern until her feet led her toward the exit of the circle.

I must find another labyrinth. The thought took root out of nowhere, and with every slow swing of her arm with each stride it grew and grew until it was all consuming. By the time she was finished, a great excitement had come over her.

“Well, how do you feel?” Sara asked her, as she was waiting for Holland to complete her turn so she could start her own calming session. “Do you feel like a million bucks?”

Well, she felt like something, but it was too hard to voice to her friend. “It’s different,” Holland admitted vaguely.

“Okay! I’m ready for different,” Sara said, and she began walking swiftly through the maze-like steps of the labyrinth.

Stacks of papers on a table at the far wall captured Holland’s attention. Information on the labyrinth had been compiled, and she eagerly took a page for further reading. The strange peaceful sensation was beginning to wear off, and a feeling of sadness rushed over her for some unexplained reason. Without waiting for Sara to finish, Holland walked back to her desk and immediately started a Google search on labyrinths.

Something had happened to her while walking through the makeshift labyrinth, but it left Holland wanting to know more. An urging had settled inside her, and it grew stronger by the minute, as if telling her time was running out. The thought came out to nowhere, but the voice of it lingered within her mind.

Doctor Who: "Knock Knock"

I watched Doctor Who "Knock Knock" last night. Okay, I must admit, a few times I might have hidden my eyes and maybe squeaked, and other times I yelled at the TV. "Don't go in there!" or "Stay away from the wood!"

The Landlord was satisfyingly creepy.

David Suchet as the Landlord
courtesy of Wikipedia


The housemates were entertaining other than some of their poor choices, but we wouldn't have much of a show if everyone did the logical thing, though. I found this episode satisfyingly entertaining and I can't wait to see what trouble Bill and the Doctor get into next time!

And I want to know who is behind the door!