Bloody Mary

Some people that I have talked to on the subject think that Resurrection Mary and Bloody Mary are the same person. They are not. I am here to tell you the story of Mary Worth, so that you can compare it to yesterday’s blog and see that there is a difference. But I don’t mind, both are very interesting stories. The first difference is that Bloody Mary...is a drink... :)

Bloody Mary Recipe

Nothing is better in the morning (as a brunch cocktail or hangover cure) or on a cold day than the spicy tomato flavor of a Bloody Mary. You can make it as spicy or mild as you want, using either more or less hot sauce, or (better yet) add the spice of tequila by making a Bloody Maria. Bloody Marys are often garnished with a celery stalk, but many will either use a pickle spear or both. For a non-alcoholic version try a Virgin Mary and you can also make a pitcher-sized batch by using a Bloody Mary mix like this one.

Ingredients:

•3 oz tomato juice or I prefer V8, especially a spicy one
•1 1/2 oz vodka
•1 dash of Worcestershire sauce or I prefer Louisiana Hot Sauce
•celery salt
•celery stalk for garnish
•lime wedge for garnish

Preparation:

1. Build the liquid ingredients in a highball glass over ice cubes.
2. Mix well.
3. Add the seasonings to taste.
4. Squeeze lime, drop in and Garnish with celery stalk.

Read below and then prepare the drink from above, rather quickly, to calm your nerves.

The other Bloody Mary~ The Scary One.

Historically, the ritual encouraged young women to walk up a flight of stairs backwards while holding a candle and a hand mirror, in a darkened house. As they gazed into the mirror, they were supposed to be able to catch a view of their future husband's face. There was, however, a chance that they would see a skull (or the face of the Grim Reaper) instead, indicating that they were destined to die before they married.

In the present day, the summoning ritual requires that the lead participant must not look directly for Bloody Mary, but at their own image in the mirror. Variations of the incantation ritual involves: the number of times Bloody Mary's name is called; spinning (or not) after every repetition of the name; and the adding of the phrase "I've got your baby." The modern ritual addition of taunting Bloody Mary regarding her baby indicates the legendary figure's tenuous connection to Queen Mary I, also known as "Bloody Mary", whose life was marked by a number of miscarriages or false pregnancies

Results

Bloody Mary allegedly appears as a corpse, a witch or a ghost; sometimes covered in blood. The lore surrounding the ritual (if she is summoned properly) states that participants may endure the apparition screaming at them, cursing them, strangling them, stealing their body or soul, or drinking their blood.

Troxler's fading and self hypnosis have been posited as explanations for the Bloody Mary phenomena.

In popular culture

The legend of Bloody Mary has served as inspiration for a number of movies and television shows dealing with the supernatural.

Description according to the TV Show Supernatural

In suburban Nebraska, a group of partying high school teens jokingly dare their friend Charlie (guest star Marnette Patterson) to look into the mirror and repeat 'Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary," not knowing this will unleash a series of mysterious murders. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) realize that Bloody Mary has the power to travel through all reflective surfaces when she is hunting a victim. Worried that teens are accidentally summoning Bloody Mary, Sam and Dean race to destroy the violent spirit before she can kill again.  add in website.

Full Synopsis

Toledo, Ohio: House: Focusing in on a girl party, three young girls are having a slumber party and playing "Truth or Dare". One girls asks another girl, Lilly, an embarassing "would you want to make out with..." question. Lilly doesn't answer it and is forced to do a dare. The dare was to say "Bloody Mary" 3 times in the bathroom, which Lilly does and is scared when her 2 friends shake the door in order to scare her. Then Lilly's dad, Steven Shoemaker, asks them to quiet down, then he goes into the bathroom, looks in a mirror and his eyes start to bleed. An older sister walks in "past curfew" and goes upstairs and sees her father on the floor, dead. Read More

  

I was at a party once and we played the Bloody Mary game. I went into the bathroom, turned off the light and said bloody Mary, three times...suddenly there was this face behind my shoulder and I could see it in the pitch black. Everyone else that went in the bathroom ran out screaming, with the same claims. Was it real? Or were our minds playing tricks on us? They say that groups of people drinking can invoke group paranoia. Did the owners of the apartment have something rigged up in the bathroom?  I will never know, because I won’t be doing that again.

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Six Sentence Sunday.

 Have an awesome Saturday!

Cheers and Hugs,
Keira

Resurrection Mary

Good Morning and welcome to the tie-in to today’s daily Facebook question.

 Daily GTKY question: What spooky legend have you grown up, hearing about, perhaps even believing?

My answer is Resurrection Mary. I grew up not too far away from Resurrection Cemetery and have gone down Archer road on many spooky nights and swearing to God, that I have seen her.

Do you think that, me and the thousands of other Chicagoans that believe, are crazy? Tell us what you think. And tell us about your spooky local legend.

Disbelievers say that this pictures like these are fake. Experiencing it first-hand myself, I say...it’s probably the real deal.

The following Information is provided by the Internet.

Resurrection Mary is a well-known Chicago area ghost story. Of the "vanishing hitchhiker" type, the story takes place outside Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois, a few miles southwest of Chicago.

Since the 1930s, several men driving northeast along Archer Avenue between the Willowbrook Ballroom and Resurrection Cemetery have reported picking up a young female hitchhiker. This young woman is dressed somewhat formally in a white party dress and is said to have light blond hair and blue eyes. There are other reports that she wore a thin shawl, dancing shoes, that she carried a small clutch purse, and/or that she was very quiet. When the driver nears the Resurrection Cemetery, the young woman asked to be let out, whereupon she disappeared into the cemetery. According to the Chicago Tribune, "full-time ghost hunter" Richard Crowe has collected "three dozen . . . substantiated" reports of Mary from the 1930s to the present.

Mary’s Story

The story goes that Mary had spent the evening dancing with a boyfriend at the Oh Henry Ballroom. At some point, they got into an argument and Mary stormed out. Even though it was a cold winter’s night, she thought she would rather face a cold walk home than spend another minute with her boyfriend.

She left the ballroom and started walking up Archer Avenue. She had not gotten very far when she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver, who fled the scene leaving Mary to die. Her parents found her and were grief-stricken at the sight of her dead body. They buried her in Resurrection Cemetery, wearing a beautiful white dancing dress and matching dancing shoes. The hit-and-run driver was never found.

 Reported sightings

Jerry Palus, a Chicago southsider, reported that in 1939 he met a person who he came to believe was Resurrection Mary at the Liberty Grove and Hall at 47th and Mozart (and not the Oh Henry/Willowbrook Ballroom). They danced and even kissed and she asked him to drive her home along Archer Avenue, exiting the car and disappearing in front of Resurrection Cemetery.

Burned section of the front gate bars.

In 1973, Resurrection Mary was said to have shown up at Harlow's nightclub, on Cicero Avenue on Chicago's southwest side. That same year, a cab driver came into Chet's Melody Lounge, across the street from Resurrection Cemetery, to inquire about a young lady who had left without paying her fare.

There were said to be sightings in 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1989, which involved cars striking, or nearly striking, Mary outside Resurrection Cemetery. Mary disappears, however, by the time the motorist exits the car.

She also reportedly burned her handprints into the wrought iron fence around the cemetery, in August 1976, although officials at the cemetery have stated that a truck had damaged the fence and that there is no evidence of a ghost.

In a January 31, 1979 article in the Suburban Trib, columnist Bill Geist detailed the story of a cab driver, Ralph, who picked up a young woman – "a looker. A blonde. . .she was young enough to be my daughter - 21 tops" – near a small shopping center on Archer Avenue.

 "A couple miles up Archer there, she jumped with a start like a horse and said 'Here! Here!' I hit the brakes. I looked around and didn't see no kind of house. 'Where?' I said. And then she sticks out her arm and points across the road to my left and says 'There!' And that's when it happened. I looked to my left, like this, at this little shack. And when I turned she was gone. Vanished! And the car door never opened. May the good Lord strike me dead, it never opened."

Geist described Ralph as "neither an idiot nor a maniac, but rather [in Ralph's own words] 'a typical 52-year-old working guy, a veteran, father, Little League baseball coach, churchgoer, the whole shot'. Geist goes on to say: "The simple explanation, Ralph, is that you picked up the Chicago area's preeminent ghost: Resurrection Mary."

There was a movie a few years ago based on the so-called “legend”.

For those of you that need more information, here is website dedicated to the subject of “Resurrection Mary.”

http://www.prairieghosts.com/resurcem.html

Our recent cool, Halloween like weather has inspired my spooky side. So I decided to add in another blog or too, feating the supernatural and other scary subjects. Many people think that Bloody Mary and Resurrection Mary are the same person, but in fact they are not. Come back tomorrow to see the difference.

To catch a great scary story in the meantime...check out Hellfire Publishing...where the “Scary and Supernatural” are always “in”.

http://www.hellfirepublishing.com/


Leave a comment for a chance to win the eBook version (now) and the print book version of Hellfire's "Hot Reads Horror Collection Volume One" when it comes out next month.

Six Sentence Sunday

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here are six more sentences of Glow in the Dark, on sale now!

He whirled around and strode out of the office. Corey Nolan sat at a bar table in the back, wrapped in a blanket. With each footstep he took, tension rose along his spine.

He couldn’t deny it any longer. Something was going on here. He watched as her body shook, fingers trembling as she clutched the blanket around her tighter.

Check out other awesome Teasers :) Six Sentence Sunday.

Have an awesome Sunday!
Cheers,
Keira

Six Sentence Sunday

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here are six more sentences of Glow in the Dark, on sale now!

"I am not even sure if they meant to set him on fire. I really don’t think they did. I think that they were just being stupid and trying to feel powerful. They were dancing around my father like Indians doing a rain dance and singing some sort of song.” Corey started to hum it. “Oh my God.

Check out other awesome Teasers :) Six Sentence Sunday.

Have an awesome Sunday!
Cheers,
Keira

Honey Badger don't care!

I guess this is old. But I found it histarical and you know what?

Honey badger "don't give a shit"

Hugs, Keira Kroft,

Glow in the Dark

Keira Interviews Gary Starta

Hello everybody. Please give a warm Fireplace welcome to Gary Starta.

Hello Gary. Please tell us a bit yourself and awesome work.

I tend to write mix genre, or, what I dub fiction on the fringe of genre.

My new release, Demon Inhibitions, threads sci fi, urban fantasy, suspense, romance, horror and mystery.

I usually anchor my novels in science fiction but find it fascinating and almost impossible not to blend these other genres into the mix. You could compare it to a meal. While there's nothing wrong with eating a piece of fish by itself day after day you might find it more tasty to add broccoli (horror), rice (mystery), salad (romance), bread(fantasy) and dessert (suspense).

To be more precise, Demon Inhibitions consists of:

Sci fi: Agent Caitlin Diggs believes a genetically made soul stealer is responsible for recent murders.

Horror: The soul stealer has escaped custody and crosses a parallel universe dragging Diggs with him via wormhole.

Urban Fantasy: Diggs is assisted by a Wiccan investigator and a succubus. In her parallel universe, demons outnumber humans and a preternatural branch of the FBI deals with their crimes.

Romance: Diggs enters an altered reality and a love triangle emerges. Her new boss Charles Grant is beyond handsome but the other version of her friend Stanford Carter is stirring feelings she never had for his alternate.

Hitches: Grant doesn't know 'his' Diggs has been killed by the soul stealer. Alternate Carter has been turned into a demon. Would romance with Carter change her as well?

Mystery: Why is the soul stealer hell bent on eradicating a teen whose singing voice inhibits demon violence?

Suspense: Diggs faces the prospect that conventional weapons will not subdue her fugitive. Can her newly acquired paranormal abilities give her a fighting chance?

I'm sure we've all read great stories that brought some or all of these elements together. They usually get boxed under one category for sales purposes. Maybe someday a multiple-genre tag will be born. After all, paranormal romance is still a fairly young genre and is ever growing. Change does happen.

Please read on for an excerpt

Demon Inhibitions is out in June. Please stop by my FB page for updates! http://www.facebook.com/GaryStartaSciFiFanPage

Demon Inhibitions Excerpt

When she found I had visited Manners, Briana began scurrying about her house, scooping up a pair of scissors and a red candle. Before I could speak further, she came at me. I backed away from her in fright. Her placid face revealed nothing malevolent. But the shears were headed right for me. I tried to dive away from the contradiction. Who was the real Briana? The sweet woman who made cookies for me--or her shears wielding maniac counterpart now standing before me? She screamed not to worry. I heard a snip. I felt a strange sensation. Not pain. But something was no longer attached to me. It was a piece of my hair. She caught the floating lock in her hands as if it were a runaway feather.

“It is very important we get to work, Caitlin.” Too stunned to process the weird moment, I could barely utter a groan.

Then she explained how she must protect me. “He’ll surely make a visitation now that he has met you.”

I tried to explain it was a good thing. I would probably get a vision of him and then I could determine his part in the slayings.

She interrupted. “A visitation is what he’ll do to you. I don’t know how to break this to you but the cat judge is an incubus. He’ll surely come to you in your dreams. And in case he is our murderer, you’ll need a protection spell, pronto.”

I reminded her I carried a firearm. I had worked in the FBI.

“No earthbound weapons can harm the judge once he joins with you. An incubus enters your dream world.”

“How do you know this?” My tone grew edgy. She had obviously withheld knowledge of Manners. Maybe the two were friends or even lovers. And she just admitted an incubus could have committed these crimes without fear of being harmed or caught.

“I know things because I’m a witch, Caitlin. That explanation will have to suffice for now.”

“If you’re truly a witch, Briana, you must know he’s our best suspect.”

She had me there.

I settled in for the spell.

“I will create a mind shield for you, Caitlin Diggs.”

She began to chant, inviting me to join her.

“I call upon the helpful powers of my ancestors. Please protect and shield me from harm. By the ancient ancestral power, blessed be!”

Briana played soft Celtic music for me as we waited for the spell to take effect. I tried to distract myself with the lovely dulcet tones of harps and violins. It almost worked until my stomach rumbled--again. We never had supper. Briana was too intent on saving my ass. For what seemed hours we held hands waiting for the candle to burn down. I had plenty of time to drink in the ambience of the McFadden household. Floral print furniture and lacy doilies surrounded me. But most disturbing, a poster of Cher is depicting the actress as a witch in the film Witches of Eastwick, hung right before my eyes. When the candle finally expired I yawned and thanked Briana.

“Don’t thank me yet. The night is now upon us. We must return to your house if we hope to engage the judge.”

“Won’t your presence discourage Manners from coming?”

“No.” She paused to smile. “You could have twenty police armed to the hilt and he’d still come. Nothing from the waking world can harm him.”

I muttered something unintelligible even to me.

“I’ll be in the next room to supervise so to speak. When he comes I’ll sense it. I will then cast a binding spell so he can’t attack you – or worse, drain you. Now the spell won’t last indefinitely so you won’t want to waste time with small talk. Hopefully you’ll be able to determine his innocence or guilt in your dream.”

I had once interrogated an evil man named Crowley in a dream state. It didn’t go so well. But at least he didn’t threaten to harm me. Maybe he couldn’t. I still don’t know; but I was sure of one thing if the judge threatened me in any way I would defend myself. I didn’t care what Briana said about the dream and waking worlds. I went to bed packing a handgun.

~ * ~

A full moon bathed my bedroom in bluish haze. It kept my eyes from closing. Normally I would have drawn the curtains on the nocturnal intrusion, but tonight I was hosting so to speak. I felt I was setting a better trap or “invitation” to Manners if I left the light on. Briana would have probably scolded me if she were capable of listening to my silent ranting. She had explained to me several times Manners would not be traveling via car, plane or broom for that matter. His appearance would be completely ethereal to all waking humans. He would meet me via an altered state of mind, in a dream or alpha state, where his thoughts and presence could transcend any physical traps an overly anxious former FBI agent (me) might feel compelled to set. It wouldn’t matter if I shined a lantern in my window or posted Rottweillers on around-the-clock guard duty, Manners would be oblivious to it. Briana stated this very emphatically, employing wild gyrating arm movements that nearly had me fearing she would turn me into a rat if I didn’t give her my undivided attention. So I sat and listened to her for an hour after we completed the spell. When my eyelids began drooping, she ordered me to bed. She took up residence in the adjoining guest room with Celeste. With a click of a doorknob, Briana could be at my bedside in seconds. But when I finally began to absorb the notion that Manners would not be using the front door to meet me, fear began to take hold. How would her presence help me? She could monitor my dreams all she wanted, but ultimately it would be up to me to break free of Manner’s paranormal grip-provided one: he was an incubus and two: he would still deem an appearance necessary to either protest his innocence or quiet my suspicions of him once for and all. My mind finally began to drift into that sleepy state where your thoughts start running into one another. How would I converse with him in the dream world? And would my gun be at my bedside in this dream? My brain felt like rubber. My eyelids finally shut. A faint hint of blue light seeped through them and then the next thing I knew…

“Who, what…what do you want?” I sat straight up and stammered as a presence took shape over my brass four-post bed. At least I determined I could talk, albeit not very intelligently in my dream state. The shape continued to hover over me, within arm’s reach. I twisted in my covers, attempting to lunge towards my dresser drawer where I kept my gun. As my hand continued to fumble for the dresser knob, coldness brushed against my backside. At that instant, I gave up my hunt for the gun and reverted to my backside, hoping confrontation might keep the invading demon at bay. I shouted. “Back off and identify yourself.” I felt silly. I couldn’t very well command this thing to put its hands behind its back--if it had hands--let alone expect it to adhere to laws and protocols devised by those living in the real world.

The thing, best described as a floating transparent body of liquid, actually started to comply. It reversed itself away from me, about a yard or so. Now it hovered over my Victorian vanity chair. I seriously hoped its liquid makeup wouldn’t drip all over my prized antique. It began to glow blue, probably because it was in the direct path of a moonbeam.

“Now tell me who are you.” Hoarse and raspy, my voice no longer sounded like mine. I tried to recall my vision where I had been speaking to the spirit of Alastair Crowley. My voice had sounded like mine then. In fact, I’d felt no different in that dream state whatsoever; I had classified that experience as a vision. But now, as I sat cowering in my bed, I felt more as if in a dream. I willed my legs to move, but like in a dream, they were uncooperative as if an iron vise was keeping them in place. As I struggled to escape my covers, the thing spoke to me in a whispered voice. Whatever it was, it was now inside my head!

Buy Links:  http://www.amazon.com/Demon-Inhibitions-ebook/dp/B0088Q23LW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342458195&sr=8-1&keywords=demon+inhibitions+kindle

http://www.omnilit.com/product-demoninhibitions-819117-234.html

One lucky commenter will win a copy of Extreme Liquidation by Gary Starta.

My moment of fame

I had a very quick, silly moment of feeling like star. I tasted the sun and I hated it.

For those of you that don’t know me. I own a comic book store in a mall, I write books (hence the name Keira Kroft) and I own a publishing company.

I was off from working the comic book store on Sunday. I had to get something from the store and while I was there at the mall, I thought I would grab something for lunch. Hubby was home finding something to watch and he found a Bill Engvall stand-up special that we hadn’t seen yet, which was lucky, because we love him and I thought we’d seen them all. My daughter came and helped me and we did that shit up right. We did! We ordered vanilla shakes from Burger King and then she ordered chicken from KFC and I went to Smokehouse to get chili cheese fries for my husband and daughter, and I got a pizza puff, because I like them...a lot :) The day was shaping up to be perfect.

I had my fries and puff in tow and went back to meet my daughter at KFC. A girl I know from the comic book store came up to me and started talking to me, standing right in between my daughter and I. She acted really excited to see me outside of the comic book store. I was happy with, ‘hi and bye’, but she wanted to like catch up and hang out. I politely declined by saying that I had to go and then walked straight into another girl from the comic book store. I tried my, ‘hi and bye’ with her and she actually called me back. She said wait, how are you? I just looked over my shoulder and said, “fine” and darted away.

Both of these women read my books and that’s  part of the reason they like me, but it’s mostly because I am a business owner that they look up to me. But whatever the reason, these ladies came up to me and tried to dominate my time, I couldn’t allow it. It was my daughter’s time. So I had to be kind of rude by cutting them short and I felt horrible and mean. I imagined for a second, how horrible it would be to be a movie star. I just wanted to to be left alone and spend a few moments with my daughter. Should I be robbed of that, because I own a couple of businesses? I don’t think so.

Don’t get me wrong, when I sell a million eBooks and I am out there signing books and meeting fans, I will love it. But when it’s my time with my family, I will always want to be left to it.

I remember one time I judged Eminem very harshly, because he said something in one of his songs about somebody coming up to him, while he was eating with his daughter. It must be “rough to have all that fame,” I said. But let me tell you, it’s must be a difficult spot. You have to work all those hours, just to be robbed of your private moments that are far and few between to begin with.

What do you think, of me snubbing those ladies? And stars running from fans and paparazzi?

Come back tomorrow (12 am Central) For Keira’s Interview with the awesome Author Gary Starta

Quote from Gary, stolen from tomorrow's Interview...

I usually anchor my novels in science fiction but find it fascinating and almost impossible not to blend these other genres into the mix. You could compare it to a meal. While there's nothing wrong with eating a piece of fish by itself day after day you might find it more tasty to add broccoli (horror), rice (mystery), salad (romance), bread(fantasy) and dessert (suspense).

You can find more about Keira's alter ego Dawn Binkley right now—ironically on Gary's blog.
http://praisegods.blogspot.com/2012/07/authors-guide-to-self-publishing-guest.html

Hugs, Keira Kroft,

www.keirakroft.blogspot.com

Six Sentence Sunday

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here are six more sentences of Glow in the Dark, on sale now!

She is a toddler, right? Like four or five years old? Her jaw dropped. A chill overwhelmed Corey, and she knew it didn’t have to do with the night air from the open bar door. “How do you know that? Have you been watching me?”

Check out other awesome Teasers :) Six Sentence Sunday.

Have an awesome Sunday!
Cheers,
Keira

Six Sentence Sunday, Inamorata

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here are six more sentences (unedited) of my work in progress, Inamorata.

Eternal souls come back, body awake.

This is the road they choose to take.

Eternal souls come back, body awake.

This is the road they choose to take.
Lucius Shouted:

Immortals Rise

Have an awesome Sunday!
Cheers,
Keira

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here are six more sentences Glow in the Dark, on sale now.

http://www.amazon.com/Glow-in-the-Dark-ebook/

“That person, whoever he was had me dead to rights. As soon as he heard your voice, he took off.” She leaned into him, her eyes closing and recalling the scene. She couldn’t help it—the terror, the fear—all struck her at once. Tears flooded her face; her entire body shook. He wrapped his other arm around as she drew in more air.

Have an awesome Sunday!

Cheers,
Keira

Six Sentence Sunday, Inamorata part 3

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here are six more sentences (unedited) of my work in progress, Inamorata.

 Her heart ached for him, her body longing for his touch. She moistened her lips in anticipation of his kiss. She lifted her torso up off the bed just enough to pull him into her arms. But, he had vanished. “No, don’t go, no.” As her dream man disappeared, she woke up verbally begging him not too leave her, again.

Have an awesome Sunday!
Cheers,
Keira

Six Sentence Sunday, Inamorata part 2

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here are six sentences (unedited) of my work in progress, Inamorata.

Laura and Aidan just assumed he climbed up in the ceiling to adjust something. Sebastian’s mouth was covered tightly. No one could hear his screams or see the horror in his eyes as his carotid artery was ripped open by sharp teeth. Usually a vampire’s bite was an erotic experience. Not in this case, the attack was ruthless. The way he tore into his flesh, horrified him to the point he wasn’t really seeing or feeling anything.

Have an awesome Sunday!
Cheers,
Keira

My reaction to Tuesday night’s episode of The Devils Ride.

My reaction to Tuesday night’s episode of The Devils Ride.

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT of The Devil’s Ride, Season Finale, aired Tuesday, June 12, 2011

About the Devils Ride

 It's a bike club. It's a brotherhood. It's The Devils Ride, premiering Tuesday, May 8, at 10 p.m. E/P on Discovery Channel.

For the first time Discovery goes inside the world of motorcycle clubs with the members of San Diego's Laffing Devils.

The Devils Ride sports a diverse crew, but one bonded by a commitment to each other and the club. Meet Laffing Devils president Gipsy, who must balance the club's growing ranks with pressure from older members to maintain the status quo. An ex-Marine who served in Iraq, Gipsy credits the club for helping him deal with the emotional scars of war.

Then there's club vice-president Billy the Kid, who waits in the wings wondering if he'll have the chance to lead the Laffing Devils.

And younger member Snubz breaks all the biker stereotypes with his degree in finance and a full-time corporate job.

The Devils Ride finds the Laffing Devils not only in open conflict internally, but also at risk of losing their homebase. The Laffing Devils' unofficial headquarters is the auto body shop owned by fellow member Hawkster, but police pressure might force the club to find a new home. Moving is going to cost the club money, so Gipsy seeks out security work for the Laffing Devils guarding a liquor store in a very dangerous part of town. Will their new responsibilities pit the club against one another?

The Devils Ride also covers what would-be members must do to prove themselves to the club before they can be "patched in." In order to earn his spot, prospect Charles is out on an official club task of protecting some of the club's wives and girlfriends, or Ol' Ladies, on a night out. When a pushy photographer gets too close for comfort, blood boils and the situation gets physical. Will Charles' actions protecting the women earn him the respect of the young blood and, more importantly, earn him his cut?

My physical reaction

I watch every episode of The Devils Ride on Discovery, glued to the edge of my seat. The show is gripping, exciting and driven by humanity. It’s hard but I have to wait until the next day so that hubby and I can watch it together. Sometimes I watch it and then just re-watch it with him, shhhhh, hee hee very sneaky, I know.

 This last Tuesday I decided to wait and watch with my hubby because the commercial led you to believe that someone died and that would be hard to keep quiet about or to myself J. I figured it was clever advertising techniques, but I waited to be safe. As we watched this episode I kept wondering what was going to happen. Also, I kept bugging my husband, I repeatedly said, “there is no one way someone died, this is a reality show for crissakes”.

Usually when we watch TV shows, we try to guess who died. But we agreed that there was no way had a human being died and it was being announced on a television show. Just about the entire episode played and it was fantastic, then just when we thought the episode was over, they skipped to three weeks later and they showed the cameos of Laffing Devil members talking about how this death affected their lives. Finally somebody said that a club member, Juice—that was trying so hard to turn his life around—had a heart attack and died. I feel sick just talking about it, my heart fell and tears flooded my eyes. My husband and I just sat there devastated. We only spoke to each other to agree that we were done watching TV for the day. We didn’t know him of course, but it was way more heartbreaking when you’re watching a reality show and one of your favorite characters dies, because they are dying for real...no encore :(

Rest in Peace Juice. My heartfelt sympathies to his club and family.

Keira Kroft, a fan for life.

Six Sentence Sunday, Inamorata first six.

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday! :D

Here is the first six sentences (unedited) of my work in progress, Inamorata.

The pain seared in Trent Garland’s abdomen as he slithered toward freedom. If he could just make it to the bathroom, he would be okay. He just needed use to the toilet and maybe take some Pepto-Bismol. Surely, he would be just fine. This would be easier if he could walk, but he didn’t possess enough strength to get up on all fours and crawl.

I just ate or drank too much at the Christmas party. He told himself, dragging his heavy body across the floor of the side corridor.

Have an awesome Sunday!
Cheers,
Keira

Toe Tags and Tequila

Check out Hellfire Publishing’s newest, a New Orleans set horror novel, just released today!

Synopsis

 

Benjamin Cain is struggling to adapt in a post Katrina ravaged New Orleans as he ekes out a life as a mortician’s assistant. With nowhere else to turn for comfort, he clings to a tequila bottle while he slowly loses his grip on reality. However, Cain is about to find out that alcohol only burns the throat and chest but it’s what’s in the chest that burns the soul. Goaded by devils and delusions to seize control of his destiny, he devises a covetous scheme to get his life back on track. Yet when his plans come to fruition, Cain finds out that no one escapes their sins.

Excerpt

 “I already shot you, Bob—you’re not stupid enough to think I won’t do it again, are you?”

“You patched up my leg, Cain. You’re stupid, but you’re no fool. You kill me and you’ll get the death penalty. You’re in enough trouble, tough guy. Untie me now and maybe you’ll get off with just assault rather than attempted murder.”

“Get on your feet, Bob.” Cain said pulling Fontenot up by the rope around his neck.

Once on his feet Fontenot gasped for air but then looked proud and satisfied, as though he had caught Cain in a bluff.

“The keys better be under the seat, Bob.” Cain said shoving Fontenot towards the door.

Outside, the doctor led the way to the SUV. With the padded barrel of the gun, Cain prodded him onward.

“Under the driver’s seat,” Fontenot motioned with his chin.

Cain retrieved the set of bright metallic keys from under the seat.

“If you get so much as a scratch on my new truck, you’ll wish you had killed me.” The look on Fontenot’s face was a mixture of hate and arrogance.

Cain opened the backdoor of the SUV. “Get on the floor” he ordered. His voice cool and steady.

“Screw you,” Fontenot blustered.

Cain drove his knee into Fontenot’s gunshot wound. Under the weight of the pain, the doctor fell into the floorboard of the backseat. A legion of voices compelled Cain forward, urging him to let go of reason and hold on to instinct.

“He’s not so big now is he? Do it. Where are his snide comments now? Do it. Show him that you’re not weak. Do it. Show yourself, you’re not weak. Do it. We’re waiting. Do it. Do it!”

Cain placed the gun to the back of Fontenot’s head.

Buy Now

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Toe-Tags-Tequila-ebook/dp/B0089ODINU/ref=sr_1_26?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339113794&sr=1-26

Smashwords

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/169782

Or Contact the Publisher for a review copy

dawn@hellfirepublishing.com

Six Sentence Sunday

Six lines from Glow in the Dark, which is free on amazon today

She passed two men standing outside of the firehouse. “Good morning!” one of them shouted, and the other stood ogling and smiling at her.

Corey didn’t get a good look at them, but from a quick glance, she knew they were hot. Flattered by the attention, she didn’t see where she was going and drove her front tire between the curb of the sidewalk and the grass. Her heart raced as she tried to get her feet free in time to catch her balance.

Have an awesome Sunday!

Cheers,

Keira

Six Sentence Sunday

Please enjoy, the first six sentences of my romantic suspense Glow in the Dark.

   The doorway stood empty. The entire corridor appeared abandoned, except for the occasional nurse scurrying by. Even that was very far and few between.

   Please God, please.

   Corey Nolan surveyed her languid five-year old. One minute she had been fine—in the blink of an eye she was here, hooked up to a ventilator to help her breathe, a tube stuck up her nose, another one down her throat and a needle jammed in her tiny hand. The cuff on her arm wrapped around to check her blood pressure periodically.

Happy Sunday, everybody!

 Cheers,

Keira

Six Sentence Sunday 3

  Sentence Sunday is ripped from the pages of my romantic suspense, Glow in the Dark, on sale now.
 
      He let out a sigh and kept looking over his shoulder, as though he were waiting for someone.
     Corey stared at him. A sudden fear seized her. Please don’t tell me he regretted last night. “What’s going on?”
     He paused for what seemed like forever before he finally answered.
     


Happy Sunday, everybody :)

One lucky blog commenter had the chance to win a print copy of Inamorata when it comes out.

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

The winner of a print copy of Inamorata by Keira Kroft is Lyn Croft

Wooohooo! Congrats, Lyn, you will have a print version before anyone else :)

For Women Only: What’s wrong with us?

For women only: What’s wrong with us?

 

I am a huge fan of The Closer. Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson is a strong, capable woman. I fancy myself as such a woman. That’s probably why in reality I am, in fact that...I attract it. That’s a conversation for another day, that doesn’t just apply to women.

 

There is a scene in an old Closer, where this sick, twisted fire bug–Bill Croelick, that Brenda once put away, gets into her house and threatens her. Right in the middle of Bill’s ‘visit’s’, Fritz, the gorgeous, strapping, FBI agent that is married to Brenda, comes home and the pyromaniac flees. I am screaming at the television “thank God that Fritz is home, he will kick that guy’s ass and protect her...  She doesn’t even tell him.  Man! Fritz notices that the dinner table candles are lit but Brenda lies and tells him that she lit them for him. I understand that the show staff couldn’t write it the way I wanted, because she is supposed to be very self-reliant. Being the Deputy Chief of Police leaves no room for weak knees. She can’t be a sniveling simp that goes to her husband for protection. So this begs the question: why do we want the man to protect us, but yet want to do everything and be enduring all on our own? Isn’t that having it two ways at once? I am so confused right now.... But that is every woman I know, including me. My husband is able bodied and scares danger away with a look, but he better not stick his nose in my business, because I can handle...myself! That’s right!

I look forward to getting down to the bottom of this subject with other women.

Cute, isn't he? But his character is not!

Come back on Sunday for Six Sentence Sunday. Comment on this blog and Sunday's and get a chance to win Glow in the Dark

This cover needs no explanation.

Six Sentence Sunday 2

Welcome to Six Sentence Sunday. This is from my actual work in progress; Death’s Reject the first story in The Conti Files series. I am tweaking this up to send to my editor.

Her porcelain skin was blackened with mud and she reeked of two dollar wine. But he knew his spouse  by her succulent ruby lips. Even without make-up her lips where full and had a dark red hue. That was what first attracted him to her, and then her voluminous eyes that were so dark that there was no way to differentiate the pupil from the outer color. Still...they had an innocent sweetness to them.

“Mr. Conti,” she said freeing herself from her bedraggled disguise.

Fantasy week: Ultimate Fantasy

Welcome to fantasy week as a writer and publishing company owner I encourage and help you to indulge in your fantasies. Let’s face it we all have them. Each day this week we are going to discuss a fantasy. Today’s topic is...is short and sweet. What is your ultimate fantasy?

In my ultimate wildest fantasy I live out a gothic romance

and this song plays in the back.

But of course it's me, so occasionally I am rescued from a modern day hot fireman :)

Or bitten by a vampire

What's your ultimate fantasy? A dream so great you hate to wake up, hmmmm?

 

 

P.S. Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for Six Sentence Sunday :)

Fantasy week: Fantasy Guy or Gal

Welcome to fantasy week. As a writer and publishing company owner I encourage and help you to indulge in your fantasies. Let’s face it we all have them. Each day this week we are going to discuss a fantasy.

Who is your hot fantasy guy or gal? I have a list :) Please only characters or actors, actresses. Not anyone you know personally.

I have compiled some pics of some people I know that defiantly make the all-time fantasy/hottie list.

My husbands favorite...he calls her Mega-Fox

What woman doesn't want to bed this? That smile. oh-my-god!

Jenson Ackles is another one of those hotties that every gal loves.

Sean Connery has been hot since the 60's

I ♥ Sam Elliot

My favorite, as every one knows already, lol :)

My hubby's other pic, Scarlett Johanssen

Gerard Butler, as sexy as they come.

For my BFF

There are no words...

How you doin?

You can't forget 'Superman'

One lucky blog commenter will have the chance to win the print copy of ‘Inamorata’ when it comes out.

  

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

 

Monday’s winner of a print copy of The Hellfire Hot Reads Collection is...Abigail Madison Chase.

 

Wooohooo! Congrats, Abigail, you will have a print version before the authors do :)

 

 

“You” could be today’s winner, all you have to do is comment.