Friday's Guest : Michael Mandrake

Welcome to one of my best pals, Michael Mandrake, who is joining me today on the sofa to shoot the breeze, dabble in cucumber sandwiches and talk about his latest release....

MM: Thank you Lisa for having me today. 

1.               So who is Michael Mandrake?

MM: Who isn’t? *grins* I’m the gay male muse of Sharita Lira, you know, that one that claims to have 3 personalities? Crazy girl? Yes. I’m a Brit, 39 years of age actually. Yes, I have my own story, we all do. *snicker*

2.              Tell me a bit about your current WIP / latest release.

MM: Ah well there’s two. A Second Chance is out from XOXO publishing, a story about 2 cops who’ve lost their partners and are looking for love and then, my first full length paranormal vampire, m/m, The Power of Muse and Inspiration also from XOXO. Very excited about both.

3.             How do you work, do you pick a title first, or characters names, or how they look?

MM: Well, after I outlined the story through character arc and the synopsis with blurb, I pick my characters. I might already have a title in place, sometimes not.

4.              When did you know that writing was your passion?

MM: Sharita knew when she subbed last year that this was what she wanted. She’d been writing on and off, fanfiction, shorts on free sites and such and then eureka, all the praise about how good she was. That’s when it all started.

5.              What was your first book and how long did it take to get it published?

MM: Our first book, True Meaning of Love through XOXO only took 4 months to be published. Outstanding!

6.             What some don’t realize is that writing is a discipline and you have to proportion a part of your day to it – how long does it usually take you to complete a manuscript?

MM: Really depends on the story. True Meaning 2 only took about 3 weeks. *laughs*

7.             Do you outline your plots first?  Or are you like me and just go hell for leather?

MM: Now, I’m more disciplined. I write with a character outline as taught by my editor Sascha Illyvich from Sizzler Editions, then I write a short synopsis, the blurb, which both may change. If the story calls for it, I’ll do a detailed scene by scene. I did that for my last subbed story, The Professor.

8.               Out of your body of work – do you have a favourite character?

MM: They change daily but right now, Daniel Declerc from A Second Chance. Jude from Muse is growing on me though as is William Chatterley who mentions me in the book. *grins*

9.             If you were to offer advice to someone starting out, what would you say?

MM: Keep writing, don’t let the naysayers get to you. If it’s your passion, continue to do it to the best of your ability.

10.          Who are your favourite authors, in any genre?

MM: Anne Rice, VC Andrews, Edgar Allen Poe, new faves Sue Brown, Tara Lain, Rick Reed among many others.

     11.        If you hadn’t chosen writing, or rather, writing hadn’t chosen you, what do  

                 you think. You would be doing for a living?

     MM:  Most likely, a diplomat. *giggles* Working for gay rights er something but  

     then again, I am only a muse.

12       12.          What do you do in your free time?  And don’t say writing!

MM: Reading! I love a good book to sit down with.

          13.            What makes you laugh?

MM: Occasionally, some funnies on Youtube or maybe something BL would say. *grins*

         14.              What irritates you most about other people?

MM: Being rude. It’s not becoming.

  And finally….

        15.                Would you like to share with us your favourite joke? 

MM: Oh I’m afraid, joking is not my department. That’s BL’s. *laughs* Thanks for having me.

Thank you for coming to chat, Michael Mandrake and I wish you many sales. 

It's been a pleasure talking with Michael Mandrake and you can find him at:-

The Literary Triad - http://www.thelitriad.com/#!
Michael Mandrake - http://tabooindeed.blogspot.com

BL/Rawiya - http://blrawiyaerotica.blogspot.com

Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/rawiyamikembl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSharitaLira
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3542690

And here’s a little taster of The Power of Muse and Inspiration coming this month.

Blurb: No such thing as vampires!

William Chatterley is an up and coming author looking for a partner after many dead end dates. Finally, he believes he’s found a suitable mate in Andrew and they see one another.

The vampire Jude is weak from being without love in his life. When he sees the author, he desires him right away but his companion is a stumbling block.

How will he get passed it and when he does, will the mortal want to be his partner? What will he choose? Will Jude convince him to become his eternal lover?

PG Excerpt

“Yes, yes, come to me my child!” Jude lay his head against a dead tree. He sensed two virile young men he might like to enjoy for a double entree. Since he couldn’t have love why not fill up his belly with young blood for nourishment. He waved his long fingers and opened his eyes, gazing around the open field till he caught sight of the two he’d seen in his mind’s eye.

As always the faces were skewed when he looked deep within to see his prey but now that they’d come into view, he noticed one he didn’t want to destroy.

“Wha…I…” At a loss of words was Jude, gawking at the handsome man running away from another. “My, I’ve never seen in all my years a more gorgeous sight.” That moment the old immortal felt his muscles strengthen and his face tightening. A new feeling of love and inspiration came over him.

A mortal, so lovely and beautiful, the desire to live started to return.

BIO: Michael Mandrake is a BRIT!
A 39 year old Brummie who loves to write tales of love and romance between two men that aren't afraid to show their sexuality.
At least that's what this 39 year old mom from the US thinks he is. They talk on a regular basis, Sharita and her muse.
Now for the truth, Sharita, who also writes under Rawiya and BLMorticia is a happily married mom of 2 who loves everything about British culture and hopes to visit someday.
Michael M is her most successful pseudonym. To date, he is the only muse with 2 sole author books, 2 more coming before the end of 2011. He is contracted through XOXO publishing, Sizzler Editions, and does shorts through STARbooks Press.
Michael shares Sharita's love for writing tales where the characters aren't perfect, they cross into new territory and resolve their struggles through communication and mind blowing sex.
At the moment, Mandrakes books are only small steps into what’s to come. Look for longer works from Sharita and the muse, Michael very soon.

FRIDAY FRIENDS - SUE BROWN !

Today I have one of my favourite people with me.  Sue Brown is not only a brilllliant writer (see four 'ls' on purpose) she is also one of my greatest friends and one of the nicest people I know.  Sue kindly agreed to answer a few questions for me on her latest release, The Lord's Tale, Book Three in The Fitzwarren Inheritance Trilogy.  Book One is The Soldier's Tale by RJ Scott and Book Two is the Psychic's Tale by Chris Quinton.  I adore Sue's writing style and the way she weaves her tale through the relationships of her characters and I think everybody should read all three books :)  But enough of my waffling...let's get started ;

Thanks for answering some questions for me, Sue.  

1.                  So who is Sue Brown?

Chocolate addicted, black coffee swilling female, who is a M/M romance writer and a Christian. Passionate about both. Looking for like-minded individuals willing to talk for hours about the most angsty situations for my boys. Oh, must come with own netbook. I don’t share.

    2.         The Lord’s Tale is the final part of The Fitzwarren Inheritance Trilogy.  How did you,

                R J Scott and Chris Quinton come up with the idea?

Chris and RJ came up with the ideas. Aren’t they magnificent? Chris is amazing when she gets going on the curses. I was so deep in university work the two ladies developed the whole idea.

3.                  Did you fight over who would go first, or did you agree the order between yourselves?

It was a simple decision for me. I was writing my dissertation at the time so I wanted to go last. I thought it would be easiest. Hah!

     4.         Was it difficult to build and develop your characters while remembering that you had

                 To break the Fitzwarren curse?

Hell yes! I could have written twice the amount just to give my boys more time. It was a good exercise in concise writing.

     5.         How easy was it to write a Trilogy with two other talented authors?  Did you confer a

                Lot on how each individual book would pan out?

Not really. I needed the others help to wrap up the curse because I was playing with their characters more than in the first two books. Otherwise each book was our own.

    6.         In my opinion, the Trilogy is fantastic and I highly recommend it, everyone should

               Read it – do you have a favourite scene from The Lord’s Tale?

Phil’s conversation with his family after his first night with Lee. I love the fact that his siblings still rib him about his love life.

    7.         When did you know that writing was your passion?

When I was thinking more about sex positions for my men than what was happening on TV. It took over my life.

     8.         What was your first book and how long did it take to get it published?

The Sacrifice in the Making Contact anthology, published by Dreamspinner, was my first attempt at getting a story published, and from starting it to publication was 3 months. Chance to be King was already written but took about 3 months to get published.

    9.         What some don’t realize is that writing is a discipline and you have to proportion a    part of your day to it – how long does it usually take you to complete a manuscript?

How long is a piece of string? I’m a slow slow sloooooooooooooow writer.  If I’m lucky

then I can write about 10k a week. It does take me at least two weeks for a short story and

a few months for longer stories.

10.       Do you outline your plots first?  Or are you like me and just go hell for leather?

Lisa, you know that I just dive in and then flounder mid-plot.

I was being polite!

11.       Out of your body of work – do you have a favourite character?

Luke from Morning Report. I adore Luke for his passion, his possessiveness and his love for his man. Also, cowboys *whimper*.

12.       If you were to offer advice to someone starting out, what would you say?

If you don’t press send you’ll never know.

13.       Who are your favourite authors? Not just in the M/M genre.

David Eddings, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Chris Owen, JL Langley, early Patricia Cornwall, Terry Goodkind, DH Lawrence. I’ll stop now otherwise I’ll be here for some time.

14.       If you hadn’t chosen writing, or rather, writing hadn’t chosen you, what do you think

            You would be doing for a living?

Working in the library at uni. Good job for leaving the brain free but it wasn’t exactly stimulating. I like the people more than the job. I learnt more about Sikh and Hindu attitudes to sex from one conversation that I would from any course.

15.       What do you do in your free time?  And don’t say writing!

What free time?

16.       What makes you laugh?  

My kids fooling around, photos of dog doing silly things, The Two Ronnies (Brit 80s comedy duo), Red Dwarf… lots of things. Also you and Patti Logan keep me in stitches.

Why thank you :)

17.       What irritates you most about other people?

 Most? Do I have to say just one thing?

And finally….

18.       Would you like to share with us your favourite joke? 

Um…

*Snort* I wonder how many people are actually going to answer that last question *giggles* chicken!

Thank you for coming to chat, Sue and I wish you many sales. 

Thanks Lisa *HUGS*

It's been a pleasure talking with Sue and you can find her at:-

http://suebrownsstories.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/suebrownstories

http://twitter.com/#!/suebrownstories

And here’s a little taster of The Lord’s Tale:   Buy Here!

From a book written in 1899


--The History of Steeple Westford by the Rev. Horace Simpkins--

So in the autumn of the year 1644, Jonathan Curtess cursed Belvedere Fitzwarren, saying, "I curse you and your children's children, that you shall all live out your allotted years, and that those years shall be filled with grief and loss and betrayal, even as you have betrayed and bereaved me."

Chapter 1

Phil could hear the rain beating down on the church roof as he waited for the bride to arrive. Inside the small church, the atmosphere was slightly damp and clammy as guests found somewhere to store their sopping umbrellas and attempted to brush raindrops off their finery. It was typical of the Fitzwarren luck that after weeks of fine weather there was torrential rain on his sister's wedding day.

He looked over at Will, the groom, standing alone in the front row. Psycho soldier hadn't bothered to make an appearance as his best man then. Despite the way Phil's friend Sean and Will stood up for the man, there was something about Daniel that Phil didn't like. He was unpredictable, and the fact he was tied in with this curse just made him even more dangerous in Phil's opinion, especially walking around with a knife tucked under his clothing. Why the hell Sean was bumping uglies with the man, Phil had no idea. The groom looked kind of down though. Daniel was Will's best friend, and it was natural he would want Daniel beside him on his special day.

His thoughts turned to his young nephew, fighting for his life in hospital. Each day was a roller-coaster ride for the premature baby, but the young heir to the Fitzwarrens clung on tenaciously. His mum, still recovering from her head injury and the shock of the premature birth, sat by his incubator. Charlie and Carol had both insisted that the wedding go ahead as planned, and Charlie was there, doing his best to wear a smile for his sister's wedding.

The doors to the church opened, and everyone turned to catch their first glimpse of the bride, only to discover Daniel limping down the aisle. Phil sighed as he saw the matching grins of Will and Sean. Who was he to argue with his best friend and his future brother-in-law? He'd be keeping an eye on that knife, though.

The doors opened again, and his sister was there, looking stunning in her wedding dress of ivory and crimson, the silk skirt pooling gracefully to the stone floor of the church. She paused in the doorway as her bridesmaids arranged themselves behind her. Somehow she had escaped looking like a drowned rat; her hair was swept up into chignon and the crimson roses in her hair matched the ones in her bouquet, the blooms from a corner of the castle grounds.

As Diana reached the altar, Will smiled down at her and took her hand. The love on their faces took Phil's breath away, and he was swept with a wave of happiness and envy for his big sister. As the elderly vicar conducted the service, the noise of the rain thrumming down on the roof abated, and soon the wedding party emerged from the church to blink as the late afternoon sunshine bathed the church grounds.

* * * *

Phil held two pints up high as he negotiated the crowd in the bar of the Red Lion. He handed one over to his brother, Charlie, who took the full glass gratefully.

"God, I'm glad that's over," Charlie said, wiping his top lip.

"Hell yes," Phil agreed, loosening his tie. "Do you think we can get out of this get-up now?" He waved vaguely at their suits.

"Probably not," Charlie told him. "Is Di out of her meringue yet?"

Phil peered around the bar to where the bride and groom were sitting, Di's feet in Will's lap. "Not yet, but her shoes are off. Isn't that enough?"

Charlie just gave him a look, and Phil sighed. There wasn't a hope in hell Diana would agree to them losing the monkey suits. The couple hadn't had enough money for a formal "do", but she was going to make the men suffer as long as she could. He smiled as he thought of his tomboy sister, dressed like a lady for the whole day.

"Anyway, I promised Carol I'd come in the suit," Charlie said, pulling a face. "She wanted to feel part of the proceedings even if she couldn't be here."

"You'd better stop knocking that back then," Phil said, indicating the pint of beer that Charlie was already half-way through.

Charlie held up his glass, regarding the dark amber liquid mournfully. "Doesn't seem right somehow. I can't remember the last time I stayed sober at a wedding." He paused for a minute. "I can't remember the last time I went to a wedding."

"Yours probably. Just be thankful you don't have to make a speech, big brother." Phil grinned at the shudder that ran though his painfully shy older brother at the thought of trying to speak in public, even in front of friends and family. There really wasn't anyone here that he didn't know. Di, like her brothers, tended to socialise in the village.

"I told Di that if she wanted speeches she could make you do it. She said if there was anything to say, she could say it herself."

Phil laughed, the laughter tailing off as he caught sight of Daniel and Sean vanishing into the snug with that psychic and his boyfriend. There was something going on there. Those four were getting very cosy all of a sudden. Charlie followed his gaze.

"I wonder what that's all about," his brother mused.

"I have no idea. Don't you think since Mark came on the scene our little curse has got a lot more crowded?" Phil asked, aware he sounded waspish.

Waving at the barman for another round, Charlie looked at him. "Another?" At Phil's nod, he held up two fingers and then said, "What do you mean?"

Phil waited until they both had drinks before he carried on. "Well, one minute it's just the Fitzwarrens' curse, and the three of us knowing everything is going to go tits up, and the next some stranger waltzes in claiming to be a psychic and a descendent of Curtesses, saying he's broken the first part of the curse. Then Psycho gets pally with Sean, and the next thing we know another bit of the story is slotting into place."

There was such a long pause before Charlie answered that Phil looked up. "What bothers you most? Mark's revelations or Sean and Daniel hooking up?"

"You think I'm jealous?" Phil asked incredulously.

"You're not? Just a little? Sean has been your best friend for years, and now that he's hooked up with Daniel, he hasn't been around as much."

Damn, his brother was too shrewd.

Woo hoo!  Go buy it!  Now!!

Join me next Friday when I'll have the wonderful Daniel Christian Juris on the sofa with him - I hope he's bracing himself!
 

FRIENDS FRIDAY - MINDI FERRARI

My first guest for Friends Friday is Mindi Ferrari, who has agreed to answer a few questions and share with us a sneaky peek of Midnight Assassins her new novel.

Thanks for answering some questions for me, Mindi.  

Thank you for having me. 

So who is Mindi Ferrari?

Let’s see; first off let’s state that I am not normal, nor have I ever been. I am as crazy as they come. I have a brain that turns like a hamster wheels, and body that somehow has adopted some form of ADHD And my attention is like a dog always on to something else, new, and fun. Raised in Las Vegas, Nevada I have always had a passion for reading and writing. Since I was 10 years old I dreamed of writing horror novels. That dream quickly ended with the realization that boys and girls were supposed to not only get along with one another, but they were so supposed to fall in love and live happily ever after. I have taken just about every course college had to offer, majoring in criminal justice, with minor in elementary education & working as a substitute teacher.

When did you know you wanted to write?

I always knew I wanted to be a writer but for me it really came to fact when I realized I wasn’t the average bear and had to do things much quicker in life than most people. I had dreams that I wanted to play out. So I finally sat in front of my computer about 5 years ago and started typing, and never looked back.

What was your first published book and how long did it take?

My first book was called “The First Taste” it’s a young adult paranormal romance that I wrote in about 4 months. But it took about 6 to be published. Unfortunately the publishing company I was with took the book and ran with it and screwed me pretty bad. But we all learn and I kept trekin on…

How many books or shorts do you have published?

 6 stories and I have 3 books published. The First Taste, Midnight Assassins, Wicked Games. I just finished Dark Days which is a contemporary romance and my masterpiece. I am also working on my first western romance and trying to get the sequels to a couple started.

What some don’t realize is that writing is a discipline and you have to proportion a part of your day to it – how long does it usually take you to complete a manuscript?

About 5 to 8 months. I have been able to get almost a whole 90,000 word novel out in 3 months but then I get writers block on closing the book and end up taking 5 months to finish.

Do you outline your plots first?  Or are you like me and just go hell for leather?

I am more write as it comes. I don’t like to outline I like to let the characters speak to me and take me where their story needs to go. The only part that feels like outlining is writing down the characters attributes and the basics about them. I cannot outline, to me it is exhausting and takes away from the surprises you can give yourself and your books.

 Do you write full time?

I write anywhere from 4 hours a day to 8 hours, it just depends on what my muse is doing.

Out of your body of work – do you have a favourite character?

I would have to say Jude in Midnight Assassins, his character shouts at you on every page he’s on. He’s the alpha male but a total asshole with the good looks and charm. Yet he has this twisted way about himself that makes you want to kick him in his ankles.

What’s your process?  Do you pick names first?

Oh yep I have to pick the name before. I can say that I have always had an issue with my female characters. There have been a couple times where their name just didn’t match the personality and I had to change it because it drove me insane every time I read or typed their name.

What was the best piece of advice you've been given about writing?

Be yourself and write how you want, don’t ever change your style for someone because there are plenty of people just like you who crave the stuff you write.

Is there anything you’ve learned about the business of writing since you were first published?

Be patient. You have to learn to take your time and not rush things and also know that you will get a hundred no’s before you finally get that one yes, and when you do it will be the happiest moment of your life.

If you were to offer advice to someone starting out, what would you say?

Don’t ever give up on your dream of writing no matter how many road blocks you hit. And you have to learn to be okay with criticism, everyone has an opinion and everyone has advice to give. Some you can take to heart and others you can throw away.

How much of you finds its way into your books and characters?

Oh, wow a lot, I would say about 60 percent of personalities in my characters or time and events are placed in my books from experiences or friends experiences.

Who are your favourite authors?

I love JR Ward and Gena Showalter, I have yet to find another author that I love as much as these two. Of course, I also love my vampires and supernatural men too.

What other profession would you like to attempt?

Honestly I think I would have been a homicide detective. I love all things that deal with death and the why’s and how’s of it, and being able to bring people to justice with a swift kick of my boot.

What do you do in your free time?  And don’t say writing!

I love to exercise, I would die if I could not ride my bike a couple times a week. And I love to read.

What makes you laugh?

By nature I am very sarcastic, I have a very naughty sense of humor and everything seems to ride on me being perverted.  Oh what makes me laugh, of course I would have to say things that hit me out of nowhere and people who have out there behavior and personality’s, you shouldn’t take life to serious.

What irritates you most about other people?

I can’t stand it when someone has an opinion but cant back it up. I also don’t like religious babble and people that preach to others and try to push their beliefs on them.

Thank you for coming to chat, Mindi. 

I’ve loved every minute of it and thank you for having me.   

It's been a pleasure and you can find Mindi at:-

Facebook:  Mindi Ferrari

Website:  www.mindiferrari.com

This is a little taste Midnight Assassins:

His boots crushed the ground beneath him, “One step at a time.” He told himself. “She will make it.”

His heart clenched and cracked like trees in a thunderstorm. The blood was dripping down the side of his arm and falling to the ground. The scent coming from her blood made his fangs elongate, his nose tickle with excitement, and the bulge in his pants throb. He had to put those thoughts away because she was dying, he could sense it.

“That fucker is gonna die.” Nicholie’s patience was wearing thin, he knew that Jude had it covered but also knew that one kick to that mother fucker’s skull was not good enough for him.

He had to get her to the doc though and only had a few minutes left. She had been beaten hardcore the way his daddy used to beat him and his sister.

There was something about the woman he carried in his arms, something that made his heart beat out of order. Something that made the very core of him want to protect and keep her all to himself. Knowing she was human though made it out of the question. As he braced her body and ran fast toward the mansion, he knew without a doubt as soon as she was well, he would have to let her go. That’s if everything went the way it should.

Nicky couldn’t feel the burn the fast pace was placing on his bones and skin, his muscles were working overtime but his mind was on the woman.

Within five minutes, he had made it fifty miles and up into the mountains where he lived. Stopping long enough at the gate to be buzzed in, Nicky ran straight for the building behind his house where the doc’s quarters were. Passing the rose bushes, he hit the front door, slammed it into the wall, and knocked it off its hinges.

“Nicky what the hell are you doing?” As the doc rushed to help him with the woman, he grabbed at Nicky’s arm and rushed him over to a table in one of the rooms.

The house the doc lived in was three stories and each level had its own purpose. They however were on the middle level.

“I found her behind the clinic, just behind Shadow Lane. I got the damn bastard right before he pulled his jolly out of his pants.” His breathing never wavered, even though he had run faster than he ever had before.

“Jesus Nicky, you might have got her here just in time.” The doc rushed to his cabinet and pulled out a nineteen-gauge syringe with all the trimmings. As he went back to the woman’s side, he pulled her shirt away from her neck and stuck the needle in the jugular vein. “This will help calm her for a little while so I can examine her.”

He never asked questions when the doc did his duties, but for some reason, him being close to her made his body tense up. As the doc began to check over the woman, he knew he could hear the soft growl rising up in his throat.

The doc looked Nicky in the eyes. “Steady there tiger—you okay?” Nicky felt the doc’s eyes on his every move, watching the expression on his face, Nicky knew he would get an ear full later. He was already paranoid about the woman, and for no apparent reason. Just as he watched the doc reach for the woman’s arm, Nicky went into panic mode, his chest heaving, a growl rising, suddenly he bared his fangs. “Nicky, I’m not going to hurt her I need to examine her and make sure we can get her to pull through this, okay?”

The growl stopped and his eyes eased back to normal.

“I just—shit, I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.”

“She’s human Nicky, you know that right? I mean I can help her and I will just considering the facts but—”

“But nothing, look I know the rules. I will give her head a wash and return her as soon as she’s well.” That thought made him cringe.

Nicky watched as doc returned to the woman’s lifeless body to check her vitals. Right as he reached to take off her clothes, so he could examine the rest of her body for damage, Nicky grabbed his hand and forced him to stop. This is my woman. Although he knew the doc needed to put a gown on her to begin using the hardcore machines, he felt she was his territory, that it was his job. “I’ll do that, turn around,” Nicky snapped faster than a two year old throwing a temper tantrum.

“Are you serious? Look, I can’t do my job if you keep stopping me, Nicky. Get your emotions in check or I will be forced to make you leave. Don’t think I don’t have back-up.”

“I will help then, I will do what needs to be done physically, I don’t want you seeing her naked. I mean you don’t know her—I mean look, just let me take her clothes off and put her gown on then you can turn around.” The doc inhaled a deep breath.

“If it helps, but you mustn’t think I won’t ever see her naked, Nicky. Look what if she needs surgery?” As Nicky nodded to the doc then took in a nice deep breath to get his emotions under control for the second time. The doc shrugged his shoulders and began to set his supplies down. “Then do as you wish, Nicky, but as a doctor, I have morals and one of them is to not check out patients.”

“Fine, but do me a favor and stop saying my name so damn much, you’re making me hate it.”

“Good we agree then—I will do my job?” Nicky nodded.

“Fine.”

They both took off what was left of her clothes, and then he stood there in shock. Yes, he knew the human race, but to be honest, he didn’t know one human being was capable of surviving with this much damage to their body, her tiny, delicate body. His heart wanted to cry, but every single part of him stayed strong as they put her gown on and the doc hooked up her I.V.

“I will keep her on a slow drip of fluids and get an x-ray to see if anything is broken, judging by the look of her head, I would say that she at least cracked her skull. She will need an MRI to make sure that there is no swelling of her brain or other organs for that matter.” Nicholie brushed his finger over the side of her cheek and whispered softly into her ear.

“I don’t know you,” he said, “but I promise I will fix you.” Then stood straight up, knowing he couldn’t keep her even though there was something about her that felt like home.

“She is in good hands, Nicky, you know that.” He watched as the doc bowed slightly, and then placed a fist over his heart.

“Why do you do that?” Nicky’s brows burrowed.

“I’m more concerned with our race’s manners and behavior—” Dr. Woods shook his head, “Never mind, it’s called respect,” he said then walked away from Nicky, to the side of the human.

 Join me next week when on Friends Friday I will have, Sue Brown, Chris Quinton and RJ Scott to talk about their Trilogy around The Fitzwarren Inheritance.