Realms of the Raven Newsletter

Latest News

Coming Soon
Gift of the Holly King - Recovering from a near-fatal accident, wiccan priestess Kayleigh Brennan has taken a leave of absence from her job to focus on recovering her health and rediscovering herself. When she discovers an ancient holly tree in a clearing behind her rented bungalow, she catches the full attention of Ilex, the Holly King. As his reign ends for the year and an ice storm moves in, will they lose each other again to the cycles of the year and of life? Coming mid-November 2007 from Aspen Mountain Press as part of the anthology Babes in Toyland II.

You can read an excerpt on my blog.

Wake Me - Another story of the Coyote Clans. I promise I’ll have a blurb by next month’s newsletter. Coming early 2008 from Aspen Mountain Press.


Free Reads
The free read page continues to grow with Flash Fiction tidbits so you can check them out on my website now. I’ve turned Fridays on my blog into Flash Fiction Friday. Little snippets of stories with a maximim word count of 750 words will appear each Friday.

Contests

Newsletter Contest:
Last month’s winner has been notified by email and seems pleased. Since it was such a success, let me show you this month’s prize. I’m sure no one will be terribly surprised that it’s jewelry again.

This month’s jewelry is a bracelet. I had a few people email me and ask for more variety in the prize jewelry so I was happy to oblige. It’s made of bright aluminum and hematite glass donut beads. I’ve added some extra rings on to make it size adjustable as well. I apologize for the picture, the camera and lighting were uncooperative.

Ask the Author
What is your writing routine?

I work full time outside the house (that software engineer part of myself) so almost all my writing is done in the evenings and on the weekend. I generally don’t actually do any writing before my son goes to bed but start about 9 pm or so. I try to write every day and most days I succeed, even if it’s not a huge amount.

I have a dedicated laptop I use or all my writing but I often sit on the couch with the television on for background noise while I write. Right now the office is shared with my husband and son but as soon as I get around to actually doing it, I have some room repurposing to do upstairs that will result in my having my own office.

Real Soon Now.

I have a weakness for blogs and email, so it’s a constant struggle to stay on task. The routine helps. I feel very uneasy if I haven’t done any writing for more than a day.

(Remember, you can ask your own questions by emailing me at realmsoftheraven at gmail dot com.)

The Witch’s Corner
Samhain - Summer’s End
Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) is considered to be the holiday of the third harvest and the end of the pagan year. The final harvest is done and animals that have been fattened on the summer plenty are slaughtered to provide food over the winter. Sometimes Samhain is referred to as the “Meat Harvest.”

Because this is the turning of the year, the veil between the land of the living and the land of the dead is at its thinnest. It’s a time to remember those that have passed on. It’s the time to look toward the dark sides of life and the time to make changes to carry forward into the uncoming year.

As Samhain approaches, I’m torn between the commerical Halloween celebrations (and having a six year old means I hear a lot about it) and the more spiritual aspects of Samhain. I love Halloween’s decorations and have a huge collection but I try to not neglect things that don’t involve happiness and candy. I take some time out from the ongoing pressures of my daily life and cares to focus on those who have crossed the veil already. It’s incredibly important to me that I remember those no longer physically with me and I feel very close to them at Samhain.

I keep a wooden box that I painted in a sparkly dark blue with silver spirals on it. This is my Samhain Box. Inside it are little keepsakes, little tokens of the dead. Things that remind me of them or were special to them and I add to this box whenever I lose someone close to me, including my pets. After dark on Samhain, I sit by myself in a room lit only by moonlight and the candles on my altar and I open my box. Every token brings me memories of whomever it represents. I don’t ever rush or force myself into a set amount of time but instead I just remember and love. I laugh. I cry. I am sad. I am happy.

But I remember and they are there with me.

There’s a poem on my website called Samhain Night that attempts to express my emotions. I’ve carried this ritual out every year since my teens and it’s my own way of celebrating both Samhain and the cycle of life. After Samhain, I can look forward a long while to Yule. I can make the changes I need to make to my internal self before Spring comes and my focus again moves to external matters. This is part of the rhythm of my year.

Free Story - Games Coyotes Play
(c) 2007 by Maura Anderson

Chapter Two

Despite her best efforts to the contrary, Melissa’s eyes kept straying to the handsome man in the second row. His name, scrawled on the tent card he’d placed on the table in front of him, was Erik. Every time she glanced in his direction, his eyes were fixed directly on her. His irresistible golden eyes.

It was a good thing she’d given this introduction speech so many times it was ingrained on her memory and replayed at will. Distracted as she was, she certainly wouldn’t have been able to make it through a less familiar talk.

“I’d like to have you all take turns telling me what your new job title is and what you’ll be working on here at MacroWerx. This will let me tailor the rest of the Orientation more closely to your specific needs.”

She turned toward the side of the room opposite Erik and pointed at the person in the first seat. “Let’s start with you.”

The mental tabulations required to get a good idea of what her audience today was kept her attention focused, until it was Erik’s turn.

He stood up, an unhurried, economic movement. “My name is Erik Michaelson. I’m a developer and am going to work in the Entertainment division but haven’t been assigned a project yet.”

The sound of his rich baritone voice, smoothly drawling with a Texas accent, made her shiver. He was a bit formally dressed for the company standard in a dark dress shirt and slacks but even the long sleeves of the shirt didn’t hide the fact he was quite muscular. The warm brown tones of his skin, combined with his ash blonde hair and brown eyes, hinted at a mixed ancestry that added to his mystery.

His eyes. Oh my god, his eyes. They locked with her own and it felt like a live wire jolted somewhere inside her. Those eyes didn’t mask the seemingly primal strength she felt inside Erik; instead it shone out of them like a beacon. He looked straight at her for just a second or two longer than necessary after taking his turn to speak, then gave her a hint of a smile before broke eye contact and sat down again.

Melissa forced herself to look at the next person, though she’d already missed his information. Stubbornly refusing to give in to whatever was drawing her to Erik, she refused to look at him again, or even in his direction, while the class finished going through the introductions.

She scrawled a quick note to herself about the class composition. “We have quite a few more developers than anything else this week. It’s always good to see some many new employees.”

A glance at the clock confirmed it was time for a break. “Let’s take a fifteen-minute break. Coffee, tea and an assortment of other drinks are available in the hallway outside this room and some snacks should be set out as well. Restrooms are down the hall to the left.”

She smiled and looked over most of the sea of new hires, but avoided Erik’s side of the room. “Go ahead and stretch your legs, but please be back in your seats by 11:30.”

Released from their seats, some attendees left the room immediately and some merely stood and stretched. Melissa used the break to look over the material for the next hour, determined to settle back into the class routine. A movement in front of the podium caught her eye and she looked up to see Erik standing before her.
She pasted her best non-committal smile on her face. “Can I help you?”

His slow smile sent shivers through her body. “I just wanted to see if I could get you something to drink during the break.”

Down, body. “Umm…. I’d love a bottle of water, if you don’t mind.” Her voice was remarkably steady considering the quivering of her nerves.

“No problem.”

Erik turned and headed toward the doors with long, smooth strides that easily dodged the variety of laptop cases, backpacks and stray umbrellas that spilled over into the walkway. His unusual grace complimented the tight ass that flexed under his well-fitted dress slacks.

Arrgh. Stop it, dammit. He’s another game developer. Another ego-centric jerk with the social graces of a gerbil and the honesty of a hacker. The very fact he was handsome should be even more of a sign to stay away. There was no way in hell she was going to fall for another geek. Ever.

In the midst of her self-admonishment, Erik came back into the room carrying two bottles of water. She couldn’t help staring at him as he approached, the muscles flexing under his slacks making her wonder just what else might flex under there as well. Her eyes dropped to his crotch and she licked her lips. With a start, she realized just where she was staring and that it was at work, and her eyes snapped up to look into Erik’s face instead. Only to find him looking straight at her.

For just a moment she felt as if she were being considered by a predator. A hungry, determined predator. Erik’s unusual eyes seemed to see into her very soul.

Melissa gave a sigh of relief when he merely handed her the bottle of water and returned to his seat. In desperation, she turned away from him and unscrewed the plastic lid of the water bottle. Her shaking hand lifted the bottle to her lips and she somehow managed to take a drink without spilling the contents down her chest.

He can’t get to me. I can’t let him get to me.

A few more sips of water and she’d gathered herself together enough to continue the orientation class. She just wouldn’t look at him. For some reason, she wasn’t able to resist her fascination for him and her only real defense was to not give herself a chance to do something stupid. Something else stupid anyway, the growing lust she felt was impossible to ignore.

Just a geek. Just a geek. Her internal mantra started to play.

After greeting the class again, she launched into a discussion of the employee handbook. Despite her best efforts, she kept glancing at Erik.

*****

Erik shifted in his seat again. There had to be a position that would ease his discomfort. The thick erection pressing hard against the zipper of his slacks seemed to have a mind of its own. He’d tried distraction technique after distraction technique, all to no avail.
It didn’t help that Coyote paced ceaselessly, only stopping to yip in eager anticipation. He wasn’t happy with Erik holding back from the woman he wanted to claim as his own. Back and forth, back and forth, the damned fidgeting was making Erik nuts.

Despite her earlier frank appraisal of his body, he clearly made Melissa nervous. After the first break, she’d obviously been trying to not look at him. But he’d caught her taking subtle, secret peeks at him. She was interested, even if she didn’t want to be.

Pondering the implications of all this, he only vaguely listened to her talk on handbooks and the internal sites for Human Resource, Employee and Facility information. The hour seemed to creep by.

When she passed out meal tickets and dismissed the class with instructions on how to find the cafeteria, he waited for the rest of the students to depart and only then did he rise to his feet, readjusting his slacks as he did so.

Her back determinedly to the room, Melissa seemed engrossed in the binder she’d been reading from. Just how oblivious was she?

Erik stalked up behind her, not attempting to be completely silent but making no deliberate noise. Only a step away, her scent enveloped him. Rich and spicy without cloying perfume to hurt his sensitive nose, he grew even harder. Coyote froze and yipped in excitement.

He tapped one slender shoulder and dodged her flailing arms as she whirled, then tried to catch her balance. Her binder crashed to the ground but Erik grabbed her before she followed it.

Somehow the world seemed… complete… with her in his arms. He smiled down at her, amused by her wide-eyes and frantic look. She grasped his arms and got her feet back under her, then shoved him away.

“What are you thinking? You scared the hell out of me!” She was panting and gasping in reaction.

“Sorry, Melissa. I didn’t mean to scared you.” He tried to ignore Coyote’s prompting and lustful suggestions. “I wanted to walk to lunch with you. Surely you eat lunch, it’s not healthy not to.”

She opened her mouth, then looked thoughtful and shut it again. Was she trying to think of a way out? An excuse? Just as he feared she’d never go, she gave a small grin and relaxed a tiny bit. “Okay, we can get lunch. I’m a little jumpy today, but I do know I need to eat.”

Melissa’s smile sent a bolt of pleasure through him, a jolt of joy he almost didn’t recognize. Coyote laid down, content for now with the small concession.

All content (c) 2007 by Maura Anderson