Monday, June 13, 2011

STOP PRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!


Finally, finally, the world has chance to read a book that I've had the great fortune to watch come to life. My invaluable, brilliant crit partner, Arlene Webb has published the first book in her series about what happens when light energy splinters. Oh but it's about so much more than that. Arlene has woven a complex tale of fascinating characters who interact with the humans they meet in ways that will make you laugh, cry, and gulp. I can't tell you how much I love this book and the ones that follow. All right - I can. I LOVE THEM!!!!!


In a nutshell, book one is about five, complex and flawed personalities (byproduct of a splintered particle of light) finding themselves grounded. They are suddenly trapped in adult human bodies on Earth and wanting to go home, without memory of where that even is. Splintered Energy concerns their journey to reunite, and survive each other and mankind.


Meet the Primaries.

Aaron kicked off his sandals, threw open the gate, and ran. Near the surf’s edge, David struggled to carry what looked like a woman with flowing green hair.
David halted, collapsing to his knees. A dark emerald dress clung to the motionless form. Shallow saltwater ebbed close to her bare, honest to God, green legs.
David gasped, “She’s breathing.”
“Good Lord, son, can’t you find pretty shells like normal people?” Aaron dropped to David’s side.
“She’s cold. She wasn’t completely in the water, but shouldn’t her skin be bluish? Why’s she green?”
“Maybe she’s an actress or something.”
Erotica no less, starring Aphrodite dipped in food coloring. The flush on Aaron’s face had to match his son’s. Her skin wasn’t Exorcist-vomit pea soup, nor gingerbread-trim lime, but a soft, immature apple—almost the same shade as the shirt David wore. Delicate emerald lashes curled against her cheekbones. Small breasts, flat stomach, and he could see the outline of her ribs through the silky dress.

* * *
Strawberry ice cream. Yep, that’d be the flavor du jour. Jaylynn pressed her foot down. The sun sparkled and heat reflected off pavement. Good ol’ boring I-87, where one could go the entire drive to civilization without seeing a soul. Perfect for DWD—driving while daydreaming. The pressures of an empty fridge had encouraged her to flip the “open” sign on her bookstore door, and head out on a mission for something tasty.
Jaylynn rounded a familiar curve and blinked. A man at the edge of the road? She blinked again. A red man wearing dark shades and no shirt?
Red? Foot eased from the pedal, she took off her sunglasses.
He still looked—he looked damn good.
Bright, unruly crimson hair fell past his shoulders. Over six foot in height. A shade of continuous red, his chest appeared marred by streaks of black soot. Tight jeans surely clad the body of an athlete. He not only looked hot, he sprang with ninja grace.
Brakes slammed, and she swerved off the shoulder. A seatbelt would have been smart.
No frickin’ airbag? Her face smashed into the steering wheel.
Spots of bright vermillion faded.

* * *

The policeman blinked hard. A weird burst of light had darted across the sky. Either something screwed up with a satellite, electrical discharge out of whack, or he needed to get his eyes checked. He shrugged and approached the sedan parked on the shoulder, propped by a deflated rear tire. Inside, he found an adult male slumped sideways, and his jaw hit the asphalt.
Heart attack, aneurysm, seizure…or something much worse. The man had short blue hair, baby blue dress shirt and black pants, and his arms and clean-shaven face were a soft blue.
At 9 AM in Cleveland? Maybe a rock star struggling for attention, some idiot drinking colloidal silver.
Screw it. He hadn’t survived this long by taking chances. He pulled on his latex gloves and opened the driver door.
“Metro, Adam seven.”
“Go ahead Adam seven.”
“Yeah, I got a 10-24 here. I-90, southbound, just before exit 27. Appears to be a non-responsive Caucasian—well, sort of Caucasian—male. Some kind of blue skin discoloration. Let the EMTs know about the blue skin. You copy?”
He brushed his fingers over the neck artery—bingo. He swallowed his relief and stepped back. Not that he rated male beauty, but this unconscious guy would certainly cause a flutter from the double X side of the species.

This four book adventure has been a work in progress for close to a decade now. It’s very cool to hopefully have book four go live by January, 2012. All the books can be read as stand alone titles. There's no - oh my god, how will they get out of that, at the end!! The only thing I haven't read is the very end and I can hardly wait to see what happens.

www.arlenewebb.com


www.smashwords.com/books/view/66190


www.amazon.com/dp/B0055L2FHU/?tag=kindleboards-20

1 comment:

Arlene said...

And I am absolutely forever in your dept, Barbara. This series would have remained, tormeting me forever in my head, without your invaluable help and most of all your never failing support.