Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Eleanor T. Beaty talks about Seeing Spirits on Gladiator's Pen

Gladiator's Pen welcomes Elanor T. Beaty to the Ludis. She's guest posting with an interesting topic seeing spirits, in celebration of the release of her book Souls of Darkness. For an extra treat there are is a rafflecopter drawing below the post. So refill your cuppa and enjoy today's guest. Don't forget to leave some comment love :) Have you ever seen a spirit?




Seeing Spirits – A Gift?
Guest Post by Eleanor T. Beaty

There will always be the question or doubt whether being able to see, communicate and interact with spirits is a gift. When I began to study spiritualism (and I am still a beginner no matter how much I study) I came across the explanation that we choose to have or not have this gift before we are born and we choose how much it will impact our lives and destiny. For some reason you asked for it, and I’m not meaning this in a bad way, because God is not so unkind to throw such a burden on someone without previous preparation or permission. That is what I learned. I’m sure there will be people who don’t agree and they have a right to their opinion.

Truth is we all have the ability to be mediums if we want to develop it through practice and study, but it won’t be as strong as those who come with the gift from birth.

So back to the – you were given a choice- POV. Why would one choose such a gift? One of the reasons would be to help both the living and the dead. For those that don’t believe in past lives this might not make sense, but accepting such a burden is a way of repaying a past debt. There are many different reasons why, but the most common is that, at another time, you may have hurt people through your actions. So think of this not as a burden but as an opportunity to give back and grow, move forward and settle past debts. It is not an easy gift to deal with, as not all spirits that cross your path are easy on the eyes, or good, but there are plenty of tools at hand to teach you how to handle this gift and dominate it so that it doesn’t dominate your life.

I know plenty of people that think that if they ignore it, it will go away. Denial doesn’t work. I have someone close to me who will turn on all the light in the house when alone and sleep with the TV on loud, just so he can’t hear those invisible friends. One day he’ll give in and probably find an amazing fulfillment with helping people, from both sides.

I don’t have that type of gift. I don’t see, nor do I hear. I always wished I’d had it, but I guess that wasn’t part of my life-plan. However, I have always been around people who have, so I’ve seen close up what it’s like to live with such a gift and use it to help others. The person I learned the most from was an assistant I had a long time ago. Her gift began in her early childhood, and as expected, the first time she told her mother, right after her grandfather died, that he had come to say goodbye, she was dragged off to the psychiatrist. A few years later her mother came to understand and accept her gift and gave her full support.

My assistant was what is called an unconscious medium, meaning when she’s incorporated by a spirit she will have no recollection, nor control. During her first years, her gift took over her life and it was hell. She received visitors at all times. She would wake up in the strangest places. Through studies she managed to stop that; she learned to sense their approach and block the spirits from taking over. She came to dominate her gift. Sometimes, while we were in a meeting, she would start looking behind me and I would know there was someone there. It could get weird. She did pay a price for such a gift in her personal life, as in she didn’t have much of one, but she helped so many people her sacrifice was rewarded. She never used it to make money, but what if one does? Is it allowed?

In my opinion, the true spiritualist will never charge because they are only the transmitter and those who are actually doing the work, the spirits, are doing it out of kindness and they don’t get paid. However, there are exceptions, and making a humble living when sacrificing your life to help others is allowed. But if you try to use it to exploit people in their hour of need, or to glorify yourself, there will be a price to pay. I saw an amazing tarot reader go from getting everything right to everything wrong when she began to think she could charge a fortune for a service provided by others. She made the mistake of thinking she was the one who could see the future all on her own. Besides losing her high paying clients, she went through a tough time in her personal life.

Seeing and communicating with spirits is a gift and an opportunity to grow. This gift comes accompanied by friends to guide us, our mentors. Our character and our intentions will determine what kind of friends and mentors will surround us. And just like the gift is given, it can be taken away if misused, or it can even hurt us the same way we used it to hurt others.

Alex's life is turned upside down after his father's sudden death. An old pamphlet found in his father's belongings leads Alex and his mother, Charlotte, to a remote Polynesian island. His mother longs for a place untouched by past memories, and Alex hopes the trip will help her to heal. Their arrival on the island elicits an eerie episode of déjà vu for Alex, and he begins to wonder about the pamphlet and his father's past. Why did he have it? Had he been there before? Alex senses something is off with the island. Progress is unwelcome by the inhabitants. A local girl reveals the history of the island and its dark spirits. She warns him to never be caught outside after dark, but Alex finds it all hard to believe... Until inexplicable and terrifying events begin to unfold. While digging for information, Alex finds his presence on the haunted island is not by chance. Rangur, the most evil of souls, aims to use him to acquire great power. There's only one way Alex can stop him and for that he must uncover his father's past connection to the island.
Purchase Links:

About Eleanor
Eleanor T. Beaty is a Young Adult Paranormal author. A worldly person born in beautiful Brazil and spent much of her childhood in several places (Argentina, Switzerland, and the US to name a few). She holds a BA in English Literature and is published in both Brazil and Turkey.

Eleanor loves spirituality and magic - both have allowed her to gain a strong grip on life and enjoy what it has to offer. She believes that everything has a reason and understanding those reasons help us deal with the difficult moments. Eleanor currently enjoys life with her husband in Brazil.





Wednesday, February 20, 2013

And the winners are.....


The blog hops have come to an end... until the next one that ins :) Now it's time to draw prize winners!

First up is the Firsts Hop sponsored by Marketing for Romance Writers.org. If you haven't heard of this awesome organization and are a writer click that link and prepare to be amazed at the fantastic world of marketing and education offered. Two people will be drawn out of the 21 commenters for this hop to win a copy of Don't Touch on its re-release the first week of March.

The winners of Don't Touch are...... 

Celina K and Shadow kohler 
Congrats!


Next we have the Vampires for Valentines Giveaway Hop hosted by Felicity Heaton, Caris Roane, and HD Thomson. Be sure to click on the link above to explore more great vampire stories and goodies from the hop. *All giveaways have now ended* Two lucky commenters will get an ecopy of HALF book 1 of the Torn Soul trilogy.


The winners of HALF are.....

Krysta B and Alisson nog
Congrats! 


All winners I will be in touch by email shortly to give you the details of your prizes.

Thank you all so much for stopping by and taking the time to read and comment. Keep an eye out Don't Touch is coming soon and there will be a release day contest along with special pricing! You can purchase HALF on Smashwords or Amazon. Just click HERE and choose your buy link.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Author Chat with james crawford on Gladiator's Pen


 Gladiator's Pen welcomes james crawford to the ludis! No, the lowercase lettering in his name isn't a typo it's his trademark. james is here today to talk about his latest book release Caleo: Leech Book 1. Get comfortable, refill your cuppa and let's chat. 

Who is james crawford?
I am a writer of young adult fiction. My first book is called Caleo. It is part one of a three book series that follows a teenage outcast as he learns of his heritage and is forced to fight for the fate of the world.

Did you choose to be an author or did it choose you?
I think that I would have to say being an author chose me. My first book series is based off of a series of recurring dreams. After a while it felt like it was only logical to write the dreams into a story. Since then the dreams are still coming.

What are three things you MUST have when you are writing?
Diet coke, enough space to stretch out on, and complete silence.


You have a book out called Caleo: Leech Book 1. Can you tell us about it?  
Caleo is about a teen with pale skin, white hair and piercing blue eyes. In school, his features have made him a social outcast with no friends but his foster siblings Jack and Jillian.  One day out of thin air a man appears and changes Caleo’s life by telling him that a civil war is being waged by a hidden race of people known as leeches. Both sides of the war are desperately searching for this lost weapon that will bring an end to the war in favor of the side that possesses it. Caleo is that weapon and must pick a side as he runs for his life while learning to control his newly found power.
**Caleo is a gay teenager. So if that bothers anyone, I would suggest avoiding this book.

What inspired you to write in this genre?
I have always loved Young adult science fiction books. When I read Perry Moore’s Hero, I knew I had found the genre for me. There are too few books out there for young adults with LGBT characters for them to relate or even look up to and I am hoping that my book will help change that.

Did writing this story teach you anything about yourself?
Writing this story actually taught me a lot about myself. When I first started writing I didn’t think I had a snow ball’s chance in… Cancun at getting my story to a point that others would want to read it. I suck at grammar and thought that I was too stupid to be able to write a story someone would like to read. I have learned that what I lack in education, I make up for in imagination and stubbornness. I have a story to tell and even though people let me know how impossible it is that I can write a book I pushed forward and kept writing my stubbornness pushing me forward. I have even run off a few editors I kept searching and found one that polished my book into a pearl. I have learned that my Stubbornness is one of my best attributes.

If you could spend a day in your book would you? What would you do, where would you go, who would you see?
This is a tough question. My book is kind of chaotic a lot of fighting and war going on. I think I would like to live in the world of my book before all heck broke loose. I would love to actually meet Caleo, Jack and Nolan and to actually see their amazing powers would be awesome, but I don’t think I would want to be thrown into their world of fighting for their lives.

What can fans expect from book 2?
Book two is going to be great. It’s called Jack told fromwait for it… Jack’s point. It will start out a few months after book 1 ends. Jillian is now a gun slinging bada** now. Plus there will be the introduction of a few new characters as well as the return of a few old ones that got left behind. I am hoping it will be out in late February or March.

Do you have any news or advice you would like to pass on to fellow writers or readers?
If you have a story you feel is worth telling, don’t let anyone stop you from telling it. Push forward, make it your goal to prove them all wrong. You will always have people who tell you what you can’t do. Make it your personal goal to prove them all wrong.

Where can we find James Crawford and Caleo?
B&N


Monday, February 11, 2013

Travis' First Drink



Today we're celebrating Vampires for Valentine's Giveaway Blog Hop with an excerpt from HALF book 1 of the Torn Soul Trillogy and giving away an e copy of the book to one lucky commenter! 

Setting the scene: Travis Criton, works for Black Knight Securities and has been a little in love with his boss Valeska Gorsteff for years. Over the last week his life has turned upside down. The love of his life is a damphire and falling hard for their client Alex Blazen. To complicate things Travis is now one of the undead. The following excerpt takes place when Travis first wakes in his new form and shares an intimate drink with Valeska. Enjoy! Don't forget to leave a comment with your email for a chance to win HALF.

Excerpt: 
Travis opened his eyes and took a breath.  He lay there still for so long Valeska approached him. “Trav?”

He sat up on his elbows and looked around his eyes glowed in the dark. “V? What is happening?”

“Do you remember what happened?” He nodded slightly so she continued. “You’re still changing. It will be over in a day or two. How do you feel?”

He laughed a nervous laugh, it was still Travis. “I’m dead; I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel.”

She sighed with relief. “Look around, sniff the air, feel the blankets, listen. You need to acclimate to your more acute senses.”

Travis sat up on the cot and swung his feet to the floor. The sound was like a loud stomp. He could see perfectly even though there was no light in here except a little window high in the wall.  It was as if he could feel his muscles and veins in his arms.

That brought about a new sensation. An aching need, he looked up questioningly to Valeska. He could hear the beat of her heart; he could see the pulse in her neck.  She reached up and her nail grew sharp as she made a small cut on that pulse. The scent of fresh blood filled his nostrils. He felt the pull of it as his teeth elongated.

“V?”

“Come to me Travis, you need to feed.”

He shook his head. “No I can’t … not to you.”

She smiled and went halfway to him. “Yes you can. Feeding doesn’t have to kill. I feed from Alex.”

He moved a step closer her jumping pulse calling to him. “But I don’t want to hurt you.” 

“We’ll work on it. Right now you need to feed before the bloodlust takes over.”

Bloodlust, that’s a good name. What do I do?”

She smiled and put his arms around her. “Use your instincts.”

He tried to look at her face but was drawn to the trickle of blood on her neck. He leaned her head over a little and licked at the wound. It wasn’t enough.

Travis moved one arm up her back to support her as he kept the other at her waist. He had dreamed of touching her this way. He kissed her neck and felt the tap, tap, tap, of her pulse.

He wanted to be gentle but the need was building. He placed his teeth over the small wound and started to bite slowly. Valeska flinched in his arms. He pulled back and looked at her face worried.

“I’m okay, bite quickly. Like pulling off a band-aid.”

He nodded then as if being pulled turned back to her sweet throat. “I can feel your heart beating faster.”

“It’s because you will it to. We have that kind of power Trav. When you drink, you’ll understand.”

He pulled her close and sank in his teeth in one stroke. She didn’t make a sound or flinch though he knew it had hurt her. He felt the urge to suck like drinking through a straw. As the first trickle of blood came into his mouth, he felt a strange tingling of power.

Her power was coming to him. His feelings for her came to the forefront as he held her so intimately. He felt his heart begin to beat in time with hers. He felt the blood in his veins hydrate and flow. It flowed low in his body. He held her as he would a tender lover.

He knew she had given him enough blood he stopped feeding but didn’t let go, not yet. She stood in his arms her head resting on his shoulder as he touched her. He knew she was aware of him, his desire.

HALF Blurb
Guarding CEO Alex Blazen during a charity gala was an easy job for Valeska Gorstef...until all hell breaks loose...literally. Forced to face her own darkness, Valeska may lose her only chance to live a human life. Two sides of her soul will be at war. Which HALF will win? 

Get your copy of HALF at Smashwords or Amazon  Comment for your chance to win a free ecopy. Be sure to leave your email or twitter in the comment below!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Firsts MFRW Bloghop


      Welcome to Firsts the first blog hop sponsored by Marketing for Romance Writers.org. Here on Gladiator's Pen I have an excerpt from Don't Touch coming to Amazon and Smashwords soon! For the first time Ryan finds an answer to what is happening to her, and she and Detective Jackson Prince meet for the first time. Be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win an ecopy of this book when it's released the first week of March! 

Don't Touch Blurb:
Detective Jackson Prince has to find a serial killer before he strikes again. Reclusive ex forensic pathologist Ryan Reign is the only one who can help him. One problem, she can’t touch without experiencing sometimes frightening visions. Can Jackson find a way to touch her heart so they can stop the killer?  

Excerpt    

        It had been months since she had ventured outside of her lawn. Ryan didn’t understand what was happening to her at first. Since the incident on her last day at work, she has tried to make sense of it. Or at least find out what it was and how to stop it.
            She sat at the computer nursing a cup of cocoa February in Florida was the dead of winter. It would be up in the seventies in another week but right now it was in the forties. Ryan was searching the net for the gazillionth time. VISIONS, VISIONS BY TOUCH, PSYCHIC were the search words she used. The screen blinked and an all too familiar list popped up. Near the bottom of the page was something different. “The Circle.”
            Clicking the link she waited not expecting anything. The site came up and they had all the usual. Tarot, crystals, books, psychic readings. “Usual BS, I could have just gone to Cassadaga for that.”
            Cassadaga fancied themselves the psychic capital. Might be, the entire town was palm readers, mind readers, astrologists, numerologist, you name the psychic brand and there was a store front for it. In the past they have had to block the town off on Friday the thirteenth and Halloween due to all the traffic and weirdness.
            Just as she rolled over to exit the page she saw a flashing box. “Have a question about your gift? No, I have a question about my curse though.”
            She typed in a brief description of her problem. When I touch stuff I see things. Am I crazy? Hitting send with her email, attached Ryan sat back and felt the sting of tears. How much more can she cry? Every day for the last who knows how long now she cried. About to sign off her mailbox blinked.
Hi Ryan,
            My name is Barbara. I have a gift like yours, it is called psychometry. Or object reading. You can see bits of others lives by touching things they touched. Especially when the emotions are strong.
            Ryan blinked psycom-a what? Object reading? Barbara went on to explain the positive and negative hands, one leaves an imprint the other can read it.  She shook her head and clicked reply. “I don’t care how it works. How do I turn it off?” Send. A few minutes later.
            You can’t turn it off. You can learn to control it. Which hand is your positive hand? The one you “see” with. It is usually the hand you write with. Use the opposite one more until you get control of your gift.
            “Get control! I want it gone!” She screamed furious. She hadn’t been able to go anywhere or even touch her sister without some kind of vision haunting her. Angry, she signed off and paced the floor.
           
            They pulled up into the driveway of an old Victorian home on the lake. Not many of these homes lasted through the ages but this one had been kept pristine. The detectives walked up the porch and noticed the furniture was covered in plastic sheets. Maybe the good doctor was gone on holiday, or playing a round of golf.  Thomas knocked on the door. The door opened a crack, he held up his badge. “Good afternoon, I’m Detective Thomas Lord and this is my partner Jackson Prince, is Dr. Reign home?”
            Ryan stepped back and wiped her face then opened the door a bit wider. “I’m Dr. Reign, is there a problem detective?”
            Jackson stepped closer to the door. “Dr. Ryan Reign?”
            Her eyes narrowed a bit. “Yes, Dr. Ryan Reign. Want to see my drivers license, Detective Prince or should I give it to his lordship?”
            Thomas shot Jackson a look then turned back and smiled warmly. “That won’t be necessary, I apologize we were uh… under the impression that…. Well what we’re here for is to ask you about one of the last cases you worked on.”
            She tilted her head a bit and glanced at the folder. “Which case?”
            Thomas opened the folder where she could see. “The murder of Jillian Hilliard.” The men watched as every bit of blood drained from her complexion. Ryan swayed and caught the door to stay upright. Jackson reached a steadying hand and she jumped back away from him.
            “Don’t! Don’t touch me! I’m… I’m sorry I can’t help you.” She slammed the door. Ryan leaned against the oak and slid to the floor sobbing hysterically as the vision she saw that day replayed its self. Only now it was worse she had a name to go with the horror she had to witness.

            Jackson shook his head as Thomas headed down the steps behind him. “I don’t understand, Jack, you were only trying to keep her from falling.”
            “I don’t’ think that was it. Every drop of blood drained from her body when you opened that file. What ever happened to her that day has that lady terrified.”
            That night Jackson couldn’t sleep. He had the sinking feeling this was going to get much worse before it got anywhere at all. 

What happens next? Well, your just going to have to get your copy of Don't Touch and find out. :) Leave a comment for your chance to win a free ecopy of Don't touch when it's re-released! To visit other blogs on this hop you can click on the Firsts Hop button at the top of this post. 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Don't Touch the Author in the Park


Don’t Touch is in its final stretch on it’s journey being revamped for re-release. At the time of this books original release I was still new to this publishing world. Now that I’ve got a few notches in my belt of knowledge I decided to go back and give my beloved stories a fresh polish and new life.

It’s given me a chance to fall in love with the story and characters all over again. Don’t Touch will relaunch the first week of March! So keep an eye out for the big release announcement. Here’s a the blurb and revamped cover!

Blurb:
Detective Jackson Prince has to find a serial killer before he strikes again. Reclusive ex- forensic pathologist Ryan Reign is the only one who can help him. One problem, she can’t touch without experiencing sometimes frightening visions. Can Jackson find a way to touch her heart so they can stop the killer? 

You’ll be able to find both Don’t Touch and myself at the Authors In the Park event on March 30th in Mt. Dora, Florida from 2:30pm until 8pm selling and signing books. I’ll be joined by 11 other Lake County authors. There will be free appetizers of wine and cheese from One Flight Up Café, live entertainment and a gallery walk of local artists.

It’s going to be a fantastic day so mark your calendar to come and join us!

Now for my ROW80 goals.With the preparation for this event and working to get Don’t Touch I’m making a few revisions to the goal list. I have to say ROW80 has been an awesome and encouraging experience to share and see other's posting about their own goals and progress. Okay here we go new goals for this week...

Goals for week 5:
Edit like mad
Work on getting promo and table items for event
Start putting together flash collection number one! That’s right keep your eyes peeled for two upcoming collections of flash stories on Smashwords and Amazon!

For more about Authors in the Park and the other authors attending with me check out their FB page: Authors in the Park on Twitter you can look for #AIP and #DontTouch for release news.  

Whew, I’m worn out from just thinking of all that. Are you making progress on your goals? 

Monday, February 4, 2013

Mai Tais and Mayhem are served up on Gladiator's Pen by MS Spencer


Glaidator's Pen welcomes Meredith Spencer to the ludis today. She's going to be talking about her latest release Mai Tais and Mayhem. Add a little more sweet to that tea and enjoy! Don't forget to leave a little comment love :) 

Mai Tais and Mayhem by M.S. Spencer

My latest romantic suspense novel is set on the balmy shores of the Florida Gulf coast. Readers looking not only for romance, but for encounters with the exotic birds and animals to be found in that tropical paradise, not to mention a murder or two, will find it here.

I chose the setting because the Gulf coast is blessed with an enormous variety of wildlife, from rays, sharks and dolphins, to pelicans and roseate spoonbills, to the sweet lumps of manatees. Five of the seven species of sea turtle live in the Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands covering nearly five million acres are home to the “walking trees” called mangroves, alligators, and anhingas. In Mai Tais and Mayhem, our heroine Tessa Diamond confronts a wide array of the denizens of the coast—from sea turtles to sturgeon to feral pigs. Besides her work counting sea turtle nests, she volunteers at the famous Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida.  Founded in 1955 by Dr. Eugenie Clark, the “Shark Lady,” today it conducts research on sharks, red tide, marine mammals, sea turtles, coral reefs, coastal ecology, and sustainable fish farming. One project that is featured in Mai Tais and Mayhem is their public-private effort to save the American surgeon, funded by sales of fabulous caviar. If you want to find out more about Mote Marine (and the caviar), here’s a link: www.mote.org. To buy the caviar (which is really yummy!), go to: http://mote.org/index.php?src=gendocs&ref=Caviar-SturgeonSale_Jan2011&category=News  or www.caviarstar.com.


Mai Tais & Mayhem: Murder at Mote Marine (a Sarasota Romance)
Secret Cravings Publishing (January 2013)
eBook 65,000 words (208 pp)
Contemporary romantic suspense/mystery, M/F, 3 flames

When Tessa Diamond rescues a baby pufferfish from a hungry gull, her good deed leads her into a shady world of smuggling, Russian gangsters, and coded messages. She confronts murder, attempted ravishment, parrots, sea turtles and big fish, only to encounter blossoming romances at every turn, including one of her own.

She is torn between Cameron Mason, tiger-eyed and handsome, and Dugan Trevally, sexy and dangerous, but before she can drop her longstanding opposition to marriage and accept her true love, she must face the possibility that one of them could be a thief, and even a murderer.




EXCERPT ~ An Unexpected Surprise (PG)

The alarm woke her at seven. Tessa threw on the Mote polo shirt and black golf skort she’d laid out the night before, grabbed the bagel and can of V8 she’d left on the counter, and shot down Gulf of Mexico Drive as the sun came up. The road for once was deserted and she could revel in the breeze blowing her long black hair and the scent of frangipani in the air. The soft gray sky held only a hint of the deep blue to come later, and the gulf lay becalmed by the evaporating night. She sang a country song as she drove. In her bones she knew this would be a glorious day, the first in a long time where she felt free of any guilt or sadness. If only she could whistle. If only I could carry a tune.
She parked in the aquarium lot and walked across to the Goldstein Center. Pulling out the key Pilchard had given her, she let herself in by the ticket booth. Pale, blurry light seeped in through the plastic sheeted tanks to her right. She went up the stairs and around the gift shop to the dolphin pool, rattling doors as she went. All was quiet and locked. A snort came from the pool. One of the dolphins raised his head and peered at her before diving back down.
Looks okay here. She checked her watch. Eight-twenty. The support staff should be arriving soon to open the gift shop and ticket counter. She walked back down the stairs. The turtle tanks lay to her right—two large shallow pools that at present held four sea turtles, one leatherback—Fred—two green turtles, and a loggerhead. She leaned over Fred’s tank. “Fred,” she called, “how are you? Feeling better?”
A black mass floated at the other end of the pool. Oh dear, I hope he’s not still sick. Worried, she skirted the other tank and ducked under the gate. The mass didn’t move. “Fred?” She reached out a hand to touch his shell and instead encountered something soft and mushy. “Fred?”
At that moment the overhead light flashed on. She swung around. From the hall came the voice of Henry Stillwater, the coordinator of the dolphin training program. “Who’s there?”
“It’s Tessa. Tessa Diamond. I’m the volunteer. I was checking on Fred, but something’s wrong.”
“What?”
Tessa turned around to look into the pool again and screamed.


I’d love to hear from you!

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/M.S.SpencerAuthor
Amazon Author Page:

OneWord /60 Seconds: Wall




His back was up against the wall, literally and figuratively. The rain damp brick soaked through his shirt as he pressed against the rain damp brick to peek around the corner. Two men skidded around the corner beyond headed in his direction unconcealed weapons in their hands.

 The alley where he stood was a dead end. He let out a slow breath and checked the clip in his gun. Empty. He leaned against the wall, his lungs burned from the run, his heart pounding in his ears, as, the footfalls of his enemies moved closer. The only way out was the hard way.

OneWord.com is a website for getting the muse warmed up. Each day you get one word and sixty seconds in which to write what it inspires.This is my entry for today's One Word. What's yours? For more of my past One Word entries check out my One Word Profile EliseV