Chasing Lady Midnight - Chapter 8

The Long Story Part 2

Well, I tried, but as I said, this is a really long story.
Anyway, I discovered the sudden change in my genetic makeup when I was cleaning my bathroom sink of all things. No kidding. Just as I finished rinsing out the cleanser, I looked up and saw someone else in the mirror looking back at me. So I did what anyone would do.
I screamed.
Actually it was fortunate that no one heard me, but I didn’t realize that until later. At the time I was scared witless, and the next series of events did not help.
You see as I backed away from the mirror I expected to stop at the wall that was behind me. What I didn’t see was the shadow on the wall, and, you guessed it, I hit that and kept on going until I was in my bedroom closet, tripped over my shoe rack and landed on my rear.
It was a good thing the closet door was opened or I would have had a heart attack.
Anyway I got out of the closet and did what any rational adult female would have done. I started to call my Mommy.
That is until I realized I couldn’t.
Not because I didn’t trust her, Dad or Isabel. This is my family, they don’t care if I have powers or not, they love me no matter what and would do anything for me. The Squad, however, is another story altogether.
You see they’re not out to rule the world, or even regular people as so many conspiracy theorists, like the hostage today, thinks. They just want to control every superhero on the planet (and the super villains if they can figure out how to do it), and they have my poor family by the throat. Not because of me. Having been declared by the infallible super scientists as officially having no super powers I am of no interest to them whatsoever. It’s because of Isabel. She doesn't know yet that The Squad owns her, and that keeps my parents in line.
Yeah these people pretty much stink. Does that sound bitter? Good.
This is probably the point where I should explain how these super control freaks got to be what they are because they didn’t start out that way. Most of what of I know was picked up growing up around other supers and what Kari told me even later.
The Mighty Superhero Security Squad is one of those good intention things that went horribly wrong. Even Kari and her fellow founding members, who recognized the danger very quickly, couldn’t seem to do anything to stop it, and believe me, they tried.
But back to the beginning. Before The Squad all the supers worked as independent operators, helping the helpless, defending the innocent and all that jazz. Then a superhero with the power to mess up people’s speech named Babelicon (I’m going to let that one go) had the bright idea that the superheroes should get organized, hang out and help each other battle evil. There was no formal membership, and most of them came and went, it was just a way to support each other.
It was great idea, and at first it worked really well, until it didn’t.
According to Kari it all started to go downhill when a few new members, specifically Wildcat Woman, The Crimson Destroyer, Captain Courageous and Tracker took control by cunning and muscle power. There was an internal battle, but ultimately Kari and the other founding members were “retired”. They were also the only superheroes not forced to be members because they were no longer wanted. Ironic huh?
Kari says that poor Babelicon still feels guilty for starting the whole thing even though it wasn’t his fault it went south. Nice guy, he teaches Sunday school at my church.
Changes came quickly after that. The Squad became a more formal structure and changed its focus from protecting the innocent and helpless, and instead only came to the aid of the rich and powerful. Because only they could afford the price. Everyone else calls the police, and believe me they are better off.
Funny thing, The Squad hasn’t figured out that the regulars are on to them, they think it's just a few malcontents. So even with the media on their side, agents and professional spin doctors The Squad is not popular. Individual members like my parent are
Well the final result is that now every superhero joins the Squad because they have no choice and once they do, their every waking moment is run for them. Want an example? There is a very good reason why a twenty-one year old art student, me, owns a house that she could not possibly afford.
That’s right, The Squad paid for it to get me out of my parents' house. It happened as soon I hit eighteen and graduated high school. They never got over the whole “security risk” issue, and once I was legal they bought me the house and moved me out. Although in my opinion they didn’t get all they wanted. I mean my house is in the same neighborhood as my parents, and I visit often. My sister and super friends still hang out with me as I’m their pizza and soda connection. Junk food is frowned upon in The Squad world view.
The difference is that my family is under constant Squad surveillance while I'm not. How can I be so sure of that? Well my next door neighbor, Ted, checked, and then he set me up with my own anti-Squad security system he invented for himself and Kari. The only downside to that is none of my family, nor any other Squad member, can ever visit my house.
So that’s why I knew I couldn’t tell my parents what was happening to me, because this kind of extra grief they do not need. If The Squad finds out about this, I get two choices, join or else. The “or else” I know enough about to want to avoid it, on the other hand how can I possibly join an organization that basically enslaves its members?
So sitting in my house, with my unexpected makeover (which I didn't know at the time would revert back) I realized that something fundamental had changed. As a normal person I had been helpless against the evil, there is no other word for it, that had ensnared my family and a lot of my friends. But now, I’m not helpless any more.
So I came up with Plan B and went to talk to the only other super person I know who isn’t under The Squad’s influence.
The Russian Accelerator. One of the bad guys. Well former bad guys. So I shoved my black hair into a hat and put on my sunglasses and went and saw Ted, who told Kari, who explained about The Twenty-Oner Effect.
Then somebody came up the bright idea to save the super world by using the new superhero on the block.
Now we just have to save my family and all of the other superheroes, and maybe the villains if comes down to it, from The Mighty Superhero Security Squad, while I try to get a handle on these superpowers that I don’t even know all of what I have yet. All while not getting captured.
Oh this should be a lot of fun.
Okay, end of long story.

Mystery and adventure writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Cozy Mystery Series, and a superhero story called Chasing Lady Midnight. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories. She has a degree in Theatre Arts which greatly influenced her writing style. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. A big secret from her past, which is not so secret anymore, is that she used to a major comic book geek. Nowadays she loves to crochet, but she is still a big fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons.

Cindy posts on her own blog called Short Mysteries and Tall Tales at http://shortmysteriesandtalltales.blogspot.com as well as The Cozy Mystery Magazine on http://cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com

Her Facebook Authors Page is located at http://www.facebook.com/pages/CL-Ragsdale/219184744858421

Time For A Giveaway - "Murder in Marietta" by Deborah Malone

ROSE IS THE WINNER OF

"MURDER IN MARIETTA"

CONGRATULATIONS ROSE!

 

I tried to think of something interesting to write about - but instead of writing about writing I decided to have another giveaway of my most recent book "Murder in Marietta." Let me give you a summary.



 

An adventure with your friend should never include – murder and mayhem. Murder in Marietta follows historical magazine writer Trixie Montgomery on her latest assignment that can make or break her new career. The Marietta History Museum’s resident ghosts are stirring up trouble in historic downtown Marietta, Georgia. Trixie begs her best friend to come along.  Their plans to research the spooky sightings vanish into thin air when a dead body is discovered in the museum. The director of the museum and her boss’ friend, Doc Pennington, shoots to the top of the suspect list when his fingerprints are the only ones found on the murder weapon, a civil war rifle. Unwilling to risk losing her boss’s faith in her journalistic abilities, Trixie and Dee Dee offer to help sniff out the real culprit only to wind up in hot water when they are kidnapped by the real killers. Will they be rescued in time?

TO ENTER FOR GIVEAWAY PLEASE:
1) SIGN UP FOR THE BLOG BY EMAIL
2)SIGN UP AS A FOLLOWER
3) LEAVE YOUR EMAIL SO YOU CAN BE NOTIFIED IF YOU WIN

 Deborah Malone’s first novel Death in Dahlonega, finaled in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Category Five writing contest! Deborah was also nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year in First Novel category. She has worked as a freelance writer and photographer, for the historic magazine “Georgia Backroads.” She has had many articles and photographs published, and her writing is featured in “Tales of the Rails,” edited by Olin Jackson. She is a member of the Georgia Writer’s Association. As a current member of the American Christian Fiction Writer she has established a blog where she reviews Christian Fiction.  

Prunella's Quest--A tongue-in-cheek saga By Linda Kozar

Prunella's Quest: (Part Three of Three)

Buxom Nina, the eldest of her sisters, pursed her lips clearly annoyed at the visage before her. With a firm, but practiced grip, she straightened the purple feathered hat on Prunella's head. "Ma'am, you must carry yourself well before the scrutiny of this family. The impression you profer tonight may decide your very fate."

Instead of responding, Prunella plucked a feather from her hat to pick at a bit of food stuck in her tooth. Mrs. Brimley had hastily arranged a dining engagement at the estate and insisted Nina accompany her. Prunella was most displeased. How much more agreeable would the trip been, had Pinta accompanied her instead! Pinta was quite reasonable and certainly more engaging a companion. Besides, Nina made no pretense of her aversion to Prunella's appearance. Yet in a curious irony, the sight of the maid seemed to set off a digestive malady in Prunella, the very object of the woman's distaste, a malady likened to nausea. Indeed, the sight of the mole, that great black blotch upon the womans face sickened, nay, nauseated Prunella. And the way in which the black hair sprouting from the blotch, bobbed up and down when she spoke. . .

Horrified, or perhaps disgusted at the feather bobbing from her lady's mouth, Nina stared out the window, sullen-faced.

"Ah," Prunella successfully released the miniscule bit of meat wedged between her front teeth, and held it up for a better view. A wedge in the tooth would have presented a bother that would surely have impeded successful conversation with the obscure, but wealthy Lord Dromedary. The physical distraction successfully eliminated, a thought occured to her. Perhaps this maid knew more of the man than she or her sisters or even Mrs. Brimley had shared. She tapped Nina on the shoulder. "Tell me more of this man."

Nina swallowed her objections, though the taste of it must have been bitter by the sour expression she wore. "Little is known of him, but that he is the eldest of four brothers, the only one of which is not wed. The others were successfully matched to women of appropriate standing years ago. But as he is the eldest and their father, the elder Lord Dromedary has gone to his reward, this brother has hold of the estate and all its keep."

Her curiousity piqued, Prunella met her gaze. "He is wealthy. He welds great power." She raised her hands. "These are the strongest of attractions, but this fellow remains unwed and his brothers, with no true promise of such reward, are. What, pray tell is wrong with this fellow?"

"Wrong?" she smiled.

"He is not wed. Is there some disfigurement I should be made aware of? Is the gentleman of sound mind?" She sent the feather to the floor of the carriage, aiming the quill like a spear.

Nina examined her nailbeds, as if hoping a stray cuticle would hoist itself to attention. "No to the first inquiry and as to the second..." She shrugged. "I know not."

The carriage began to slow. Both woman leaned forth from the window for a clear sight of the estate. Instead of windows cheerily lit from the inside, Prunella grew alarmed by darkened aspect of the palatial home. Only two torches burned at the entrance and the emanance of a dim light glowed from somewhere within the home. Were they two women not expected? Why then was so little preparation or care given to a secure and comfortable arrival?

One of the carriage horses, snorted and stomped, as if uneasy. An aged footman emerged from the darkness  of the grand entryway and approached as the carriage driver lowered a step for her and assisted her descent. Nina followed in silence.

Prunella sensed the woman's fear, yet wondered at her lack of it. By all appearances, the aspect of the property, surrounded by the bare skeletons of trees ravaged by winter, the spare greetings at the door--these alone would have been warnings of an ill-concieved rendevous.

The footman led them through the front door where a tall, stately figure stood as a shadow lit by light beyond.  He stepped forward. A butler, tall as a cedar motioned for them to follow. He turned with the expectation that the two women would. Prunella stole a glance back at Nina, whose lower lip vibrated like a stringed instrument. The woman did not carry herself with the confidance she portrayed.

They followed the timbrous man, his gait always a breadth ahead of them, through foyer and cavernous receiving room, then down a hall of honor fitted with medieval armor, weapons and tapestries and banners of heraldry. Lit by torchieres, the elements displayed toward the heightened ceilings were shrouded in darkness. Prunella wondered at the sight of such a hall in the daylight hours.

Finally, they entered a grandiose dining hall, the walls panelled in rich woods, a long table set for two and laden with sumptuous delights. Candleabra, towered above the domed trays of food, radiating light. She detected a variety of scents--the fragance of saffroned meats, sizzled to perfection, of rich sauces and buttered glazes. Trays of fruits cascaded from raised stands, their delicate scents tantalizing.

A fire blazed brightly in a fireplace that, for its length and breadth, might serve as the gateway to Hades. A butler approached and showed her to the opposite end of the table. He removed her cloak and pulled to chair away to seat her.

The figure of a man, seated at the head of the table acknowledged her approach. Nina remained standing and maintained a respectful, but watchful distance from the table.

Prunella made scrutiny of the man at the other end of the table. Coils of honeyed hair surrounded a face as pleasing and glib as any knight or knave. Though the color of his eyes would remain a mystery for now due to the distance between them, she guessed them to be light. Perhaps blue? Perhaps green? But oh how the light of the fire danced in them.

"Greetings Miss Busby."

She bowed her head. "Lord Dromedary."

"May I--may I converse with you by your first name? Are you comfortable doing so?"

"Only if I may call you by your first name as well."

"That would be most agreeable."

"Then I must ask you a question."

"What is it, Miss Prunella?"

"You must make known to me your first name."

A peal of laughter rose, echoing through the room and down the great hall. "You are as direct as I was told." He raised a hand to clasp his clean-shaven chin. "Very well. My full name is Lord Rasmussen, Bevere, Raison d'etre, Trevor Dromedary the Sixth. But you may call me 'Trevor.'"

She nodded. "As you like it Lord, Trevor."

He held a goblet to the air. A butler on his end of the table filled it immediately as did a butler on Prunella's. Let us begin with a toast.

She lowered her goblet. "I am accustomed to commencing a meal with a grace."

He lowered his goblet as well. "Then by all means. It pleases me to accomodate you Miss Prunella. I am aware that it falls to the Adam and not to the Eve to offer such words to the heavenlies, but would you consider doing me the honor?"

She bowed her head. "Most heavenly Father. I offer thanks for the hospitality of this house and master thereof and pray your blessings upon it and him. Please bless this food we are to soon receive and accept our wholehearted thankfulness for it. Amen."

"Well done. Well done." He clapped. "Indeed."

With that, the two began to eat. Try though she might however, Prunella could not seem to eat much of the banquet set before them. She piddled with each forkfull, barely swallowing a third of what was on her plate.

"My lady," he shuffled in his seat, "might I inquire of you?"

"Yes?"

"Is the food not to your liking? If not, I will call my kitchen staff to account. Whatever delicacy you wish will be yours. I promise."

She shook her head. "Oh no Lord Trevor. What an extraordinary feast you have arranged to be prepared in honor of my visit."

"Then what, pray tell bothers thee?"

Prunella met his eyes. "This meeting."

"Ah yes," he pushed his chair back slightly from the edge of the table. "Your directness."

"I am."

He smiled. "But you make no apologies for it. I do like that." Leaning back in his chair, he slid to one elbow and scrutinized her. "Let us be direct. You are not a delicate woman, are you?"

She shook her head.

"And in fact, you stand quite tall, taller than most of the opposite gender. Unappealing to most, I would imagine."

"Yes, quite."

He threw back his head in laughter. "You make no bones about anything, do you?"

"I prefer truth."

Lord Trevor leaned on one elbow. "Then let us speak it. You're wondering why a man of my influence is not wed. In all truth, you are wondering why a man of my position would even consider a woman like you to take as wife. Is this not true?"

She blinked. "Yes, it is."

"And I will give answer to your question quite soon. However, there is one thing I must say to you."

"Go on." Prunella braced herself for the dismissal she felt certain was to come.

He moved his head from side to side. "Though I was told you were quite plain, I was unprepared for your true appearance."

Her heart sank at his words.

"You are really quite lovely."

"Lovely?" She felt the heat of blood rush to her face.

"Lovely, love-lovely is not a word usually ascribed to my appearance."

He squinted. "I find that surprising."

She smiled. "I-I am surprised as well." Prunella heard Nina gasp and guessed that the woman was trying hard not to fall in a heap on the cold stone floor. What a shock it must be to hear that a man actually considered her attractive.

"In truth, I am taken aback by your candor--and your assessment of me. But do not think I have forgotten your offer of an explanation. I must know. I inquired about you aforehand as well, wondering as to the possibility of a disfigurement or. . ."

He paused. "You ask a valid question. Anyone would ask such a question, as would I." He motioned to the butler.

Prunella thought she detected the shine of tears in his eyes.

The butler pulled the chair back. At the same time, her butler pulled her chair back. She slid from her chair and stood. The butler motioned for her to stand beside the table.

Lord Trevor slid from his chair and--and disappeared. Or seemed to.

A moment later he stood opposite her. A man barely four feet in height, the size of a child, yet fully formed with the features of a man. Prunella ceased breathing for a time. She'd seen people of this sort before. The ones she'd witnessed however, had the features of children, not of mature adults. Yet she was not repulsed by him, nor by his height. The gold of his hair, the glint of his eyes, the manly chisel of his cheeks somehow endeared her.

She made  a decision. Prunella took three steps in his direction.

The breath rose and fell in him. She witnessed his shock. Amazement. And he took three steps toward her. The two stood before one other, though most certainly not face to face. The room, utterly silent save for the crackling of the fire, his hand reached for hers.

"Miss Prunella."

"Yes?"

"Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

She curtsied, lower than usual, until eye-to-eye, her face almost touching his. "Yes Lord Trevor. I would be honored to marry you and become Lady Prunella Dromedary."

And so the two married. Prunella a towering Amazon of a woman and Lord Trevor, a mere mouse of a man, yet the two lived happily ever after. Life at the House of Dromedary was never sweeter.

#

A Cozy Dessert - Chocolate Eraser Cake

By Nancy Jill Thames

Few recipes in my husband's favorites repertoire have survived as long as this one. Ever since I made it the first time and it turned out with the texture of a gum eraser has one been so humorously remembered. It rivals the infamous Salmon Loaf made with cottage cheese in honor of Dairy Week, and the cheesecake I accidentally dumped on the floor while trying to pop it out of the pan. He took me to McDonald's for dinner after tasting the awful loaf, and on the other occasion, scooped up the pile of crumpled cheesecake and ate almost the whole thing, saying it was the best he'd ever had! Yes, he's one in a million.

Many of you may have made this recipe since it's been around for years. But in case you haven't had the pleasure, I thought I'd share it with you. If there are basic ingredients like cocoa, flour and sugar on hand, you may choose to make it today. If you do and your family are chocolate lovers, they will sing your praises. For an 8 X 8 inch square pan, use half a recipe. If you like pecans, add a cup to the delicious frosting. I hope this Chocolate Eraser Cake brightens your weekend. I plan to cut myself a square and enjoy it while reading another cozy mystery.

Chocolate Eraser Cake

By Nancy Jill Thames

2 Cups flour

2 Cups sugar

1 t. soda

1 t. cinnamon

2 sticks butter

4 T. cocoa

1 Cup water

1/2 Cup buttermilk (or add 1/2 t. vinegar to a 1/2 Cup of milk)

2 eggs

1 T. vanilla

Sift dry ingredients together. In a glass bowl or measuring cup, microwave butter, cocoa and water. Pour over dry ingredients. Add buttermilk (or sour milk), eggs and vanilla. Beat well and pour into greased 9 X 12 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

FROSTING:

Microwave 1 stick butter, 4 T. cocoa, and 1/4 cup milk in glass bowl or measuring cup. Pour over 1 box (16 oz.) powdered sugar in bowl and beat well. Add 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts if desired. Spread on cake while still hot.

See you in my books!

 ~Nancy Jill 

Mystery novelist Nancy Jill Thames began publishing Christian fiction in 2010. The author of six books in the Jillian Bradley series, she is an award winning blogger and is listed numerous times on the Author Watch Bestseller’s List, this in addition to winning first place for her Chocolate Cream Pie.

When she isn’t plotting her next book, she spends time with her six grandchildren in two states, tags along with her husband on business trips, and plays classical piano for her own personal enjoyment. She is an active member of the Leander Writers Guild and supports the Central Texas SPCA with a portion of her book sales.

Nancy Jill is busy working on book 7 "The Ruby of Siam" a mystery taking place in London, England. To learn more about the author and check out her books, please visit her blog at  

Cozy Mystery Author, Nancy Jill Thames.

CONTACT INFORMATION

jillthames@gmail.com

To view and purchase her books on this site, please visit the Cozy Book Store.

Chasing Lady Midnight - Chapter 7

The Long Story

I guess this is a good time to go into that long story I’ve been mentioning, but I’m going to try to keep it brief because to be frank, my whole life has been a long story.
First off my name is Ann and until about a month ago I was the oddball of my clan. Why? Because I was the one normal person in a family of superheroes, and that had its own set own issues. Starting from the time I turned a year old and it became clear that no superpowers were pending.
To understand why, I think I had better explain about my family. My parents are the golden married couple of superheroes. Dad is called Quazar, misspelling intended I guess he thought it was cool at the time, and he shoots red beams out of his hands which can flatten a small building. He doesn’t fly, but he rides a mean motorcycle. Mom is Lightening Lass, I’m not kidding, and she can control electrical charges. Now she does fly which is where my sister Protostar, or Isabel as I prefer to call her, gets it from.
Me, I am now embarrassingly short of an alter ego name, because no one thought I would ever need one, including me.
So why did being normal cause problems? Well not remembering the incident myself I had to get my information from Kari, because no one else wanted to talk about it. For good reason.
Remember those super match making scientists I mentioned earlier? They tightly control who the superheroes, and villains if you can believe it, share their DNA.
Again, Ick!
Their logic is that we can’t go messing up the whole super gene pool with normal people DNA. It’s a logic I still do not understand. Even they admit that super beings came from humans, not the other way around. So if they are the origin DNA how can they mess anything up? But if you want to get a super headache, fast, just try to convince a super scientist they are wrong.
This is what upset them so much about me, because I did just that. Kind of.
You see being the first born of the most powerful super couple on the planet it shook the whole superhero establishment when I was pronounced super power free at the tender age of one. Yeah, if you’re going to get powers that’s when they show up, unless you’re a twenty-oner, but the super scientists do not believe in those.
Remember, super headaches.
The first knee jerk reaction from the establishment was to fix me. However, Dr. Dynasty, the mad scientist, just kidding he’s actually a very nice man, couldn’t fix me. Because as he most properly pointed out that there was nothing to be fixed. I was a normal healthy child. I just didn’t have any powers.
Then suddenly everybody, scientist and The Squad, all started having an opinion. Kari told me that there was actually serious discussion as to whether my parents would even be allowed to raise me. The reason given was that I would a security risk. Like I was really going to start running down the street shouting to the world who my family was, which I would never do. I thought about it, but I’d never do it.
Anyway this seriously freaked my parents out. Well Kari said that Dad was freaked out. Mom, on the other hand, started going literally all supermom on anyone and everyone who was for the “relocation” of her kid. The term “you touch my daughter and you will be flying funny for a week whether you can fly or not” was bandied about.
Fortunately, before she did any real damage to anyone, reason reasserted itself and I was allowed to stay with my family. Then Isabel came along (who was born glowing) proving that I was an anomaly, and all was right with the world again.
I won’t go into the whole fish out of water, terrible childhood thing, mostly because it’s not true. Sure I sometimes had a bit of an inferiority complex. I mean how can straight A’s compare with the flying lessons Isabel learned at her school? But on the plus side the super people and their kids hung out at my house. Except for that one dip in the road with Max, they were all very nice to me. Once they got used to me. Also I had my own set of normal friends as well. I never had any sleep overs, but neither did Isabel. Life went on.
Then about a week or so after my twenty-first birthday party (I didn’t get the laptop) my hair turned black and my eyes went green and it was my turn to freak out.
Hey you look in the mirror sometime and see a totally different person looking back at you and see how you react.

 

Mystery and adventure writer C.L. Ragsdale is the author of The Reboot Files a Christian Cozy Mystery Series, and a superhero story called Chasing Lady Midnight. A California native, she loves to "surf" the web to research plot details for her fun, quirky stories. She has a degree in Theatre Arts which greatly influenced her writing style. Working in various fields as a secretary has allowed her to both master her writing skills and acquire valuable technical knowledge which she uses liberally in her plots. A big secret from her past, which is not so secret anymore, is that she used to a major comic book geek. Nowadays she loves to crochet, but she is still a big fan of the old Scooby Doo cartoons.

Cindy posts on her own blog called Short Mysteries and Tall Tales at http://shortmysteriesandtalltales.blogspot.com as well as The Cozy Mystery Magazine on http://cozymysterymagazine.blogspot.com

Her Facebook Authors Page is located at http://www.facebook.com/pages/CL-Ragsdale/219184744858421