Entry # 3

Fates Warning

Excerpt from The Mystic Diaries book 3 - The Unseen Heart

By:

Lilibeth Muscato

The section on where our room was located was the best. The college students over did themselves on special occasions. Homecoming they celebrated as if it were going out of style. Halloween was coming up and you would think we were all ten years old again. The decorations, the gags, there was never a dull moment. The section was throwing a big Halloween party. 

“Wow! Look at that detail! It looks like an authentic suit that they would have worn back in the early 1800’s,” he gasped, at the detail.

The suit top coat was dark beige with a white shirt. The coat’s collar was trimmed in black with black buttons. The outfit included a white box tie and dark brown trousers with a hideous vest. No wonder why my angel outfit looked a little outdated. I was starting to put two and two together.

Gabriel another varsity player was knocking right outside the door. “Alexandra? Someone dropped these off for you.” 

He gave me a dozen red roses. I took a sniff and smiled. They smelled so sweet. The vase was a beautiful clear glass covered with delicate art work. “Thanks,” I smiled.

“Who are those from?” Jen asked.

“I don’t know,” I looked for the card. It was stuck down in the middle of the roses.

“These are to remind you that we are here,” The card read. “It is not a game that we are playing. From: The Baseball Varsity Team.”

She hissed with annoyance, “They are never going to give up.”

“It’s not like I asked for this,” I shot back.

“Three hours!” Connor shouted, from the hallway. Cheers followed and Halloween music started to play. 

“Lexi?” Erik asked from the doorway.

“Yes?” I asked, worried by his tone.

“Next time you invite someone, can you please let us know,” he nicely informed me.

“Wanna come?” I asked Jen. 

I had completely forgotten to sign him in since he was unsure if could make it. Then I remembered that Erik was there when I told varsity that he was coming. Oh well, he must have forgotten. 

“Sure,” she said, taking off right behind me. 

Jen and I were head to head with racing down the stairs. We were on the fourth floor. Most days it sucked if we forgot a book for class or just heading to class in general. It seemed to take forever to get down the four flights of stairs. Decorations all over the place. We were running to fast I think our wind knocked some over. I didn’t care. I rounded the last corner to find him waiting patiently.

“Alexandra my love!” He called, rushing to me as soon as he saw me.

“I missed you so much!” I said wrapping my arms around him. We embraced in a passionate kiss. I had completely forgotten about Jen standing there until I heard her clear her throat. “Oh, sorry,” I said smiling. “Justin, this is my roommate Jen. Jen this is Justin.”

“Nice to finally meet you,” she said, taking his hand.

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well,” he replied with a smile. “So I see that you speak a lot about me.”

“Of course,” I giggled, because he knew when I did. 

We started heading back to our room. Justin and I were getting a lot of looks and of course ‘he is real’ remarks. That didn’t bother me. Jen and I could never understand why everyone doubted me and not her. She didn’t have any pictures up of Stephen and I had a lot of Justin. Maybe she should she would play hard to get. Who knows? We walked arm and arm up the stairs. 

“Did the package arrive?” He asked.

“Yes it did,” I playfully glowered at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was not for sure if the plans that had been made would work out as planned. I did not want to give your hopes up for if they had fallen through,” he smiled, spinning me around.

“A little warning next time,” I teased. “We have one stop to make along the way to the room.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” 

I knocked on the Timothy’s door. I heard a bunch of chuckling coming from inside.

“I’m coming in,” I announced slowly opening the door.

“Alexandra!” Connor stood up with excitement.

“Everyone,” I said taking a step inside. Justin was right outside the door to where they couldn’t see him just yet. “This is my fiancé Justin.”

“Hi Justin,” they said in unison. Their tone sounded like a bunch of little school boys meeting someone they didn’t like for the first time.

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” he said, giving a slight bow of his head.

“You look familiar,” Bart said analyzing him. “Have you been here before?”

“I had stopped for an interview some time ago. Perhaps that is where you have seen me.”

Connor was doubtful, “Possibly.” 

I rolled my eyes and we headed back to our room. This was great. Even before we made it into the room Connor was at it now.

“One hour people!” Connor yelled, running down the hallway.

“We should perhaps get ready,” he winked at me.

“Of course,” I answered, with a smile. “Go ahead and get changed in the bathroom, I’ll get changed out here.”

Jen went to close and lock the door. I handed Justin his outfit and he proceeded in the bathroom to get ready.

“He’s cute,” she whispered. “He doesn’t talk like us.”

“He’s old school,” I whispered back. “Maybe Stephen will surprise you tonight?”

“I don’t think so,” she said with such sadness, it looked as if she was going to cry at any moment. “Things are complicated between us.”

I deeply sighed looking at the bathroom door. “I know the feeling.” 

“I really don’t think you do,” she said, not believing me. 

If she only knew the truth. Not that I didn’t trust her enough, it’s that I didn’t trust her all the way to let her in on our secret. The white angel’s costume was trimmed in light blue. It was long gown that flowed and shimmered in the light. She even got the accessories for it. It looked sort of like mid Victorian Southern Belle Gown but she made the angel wings for the back and the halo that sat perfectly on my head. Jen had a black cat costume. Justin finally emerged from the bathroom. He looked absolutely genteel.

He held his breath. “My love, you truly look like an angel that has fallen upon this earth.”

“You look noble as well my love.” I held my arm out. “Ready?”

“Ready,” he grinned. 

“Let me get pictures first,” she said grabbing her camera and I threw mine at her. We must have taken about rolls worth of film. 

“PARTY TIME!” Bart screamed, as he flew down the hall in his cereal box shirt to resemble a serial killer. 

The music grew louder as other students had set up tables with food and drinks along one end and created a make shift dance floor on the other end. 

We turned back around and headed to the dance floor. Connor was still there with his mouth hanging open. I knew that because Gabriel started to make fun of him. We were the first ones on the make shift dance floor. A slow song began as soon as our feet touched the dance floor. I looked at him knowing he had something to do with it as he just winked at me. 

We flowed as we always did when we danced to the slow songs. The students stood there in amazement as they watched us take the floor. Our eyes never leaving one another, I was in bliss. When the song stopped everyone applauded. I was taken back because I had completely forgotten about everyone else. 

You could see where the different sets of varsity teams were huddled discussing amongst themselves. The football you knew by their built and the basketball because of their height. 

He whispered in my ear, “I need to have a word with you in private.” 

I motioned him off the floor and led him to my room. Our room was in the middle of the party but no one should really notice.

“What’s wrong?” I asked when we entered my room.

“Fate warned me that there is a spirit in lust with a mortal at your school,” he said.

“Really?” I said, really not shocked.

He looked a bit confused. “You know?” 

“Well I’m not for sure,” I admitted, looking at the empty pictures Jen stares at on the wall.

“Destiny was right. As large as this world is, sometimes it is way too small,” he said, with incredulity.

Entry #2

“The Unimaginable”

by

Gretchen Steen

‘If only that truck driver had paid attention, I wouldn’t be stuck in this … this God awful contraption for the rest of my life …’ Maggie thought as she stared into the computer monitor.

“I’m only fifty-three and dead from my waist down … DAMN HIM,” she growled and pushed herself backward, away from my cluttered computer desk.

She glared at the piles of papers, scribbled notes, an empty coffee cup and numerous pill vials. The house was a wreck, the roof leaked and the septic didn’t work. She couldn’t fix it, she had no money; and she couldn’t do the repairs anyway.

The computer was her life after the accident, broad-sided by a semi.

‘I shouldn’t have survived … I wish I hadn’t. But I did and here I sit, watching the world fall apart around me.’

Buzz … Buzz … Another text message. It was from Maggie’s only son, Günter.

‘Mom … I Love You!!!’ was all it said.

They hadn’t finished their conversation, but something was wrong—terribly wrong.

Maggie wheeled herself back to the laptop quickly.

“Why is this taking so long?” she shouted, as she slammed the mouse on the desk. The online TV channel opened and she read the headlines.

It had begun. Why hadn’t anyone listened? Sheep to slaughter, that’s all it was; history repeating itself.

*

THUD … THUD … CRASH …

“Find anyone here and hurry, we don’t have all night,” yelled a deep voice from the front of the house.

‘I can’t hide … why are they here … I’ve done nothing wrong!!!’ Maggie thought as her crippled body began to tremble.

 The intruders fumbled and destroyed each room. They found their target.

Maggie stared into the monitor; her cell phone buzzed away, she said nothing.

A firm, strong hand grabbed her shoulder and forcibly turned her around.

“You are coming with us, Miss Weiss. It has been determined you are an enemy of the state,” the tallest mercenary stated.

Dressed in a black uniform, complete with patent-leather brimmed hat and shiny boots, the one thing that stood out … a small pin proudly displayed on his lapel.

“Lift her up, I’ll get what’s here … MOVE IT!!” another shouted.

Maggie slapped her own face in disbelief, ‘is this all a dream?’ She opened her eyes to M16’s pointed at her head.

She was snatched up and carried through what was left of her home and out into the yard. Idling in the street was a converted school bus; painted black, a whirling yellow light broke the darkness. One of the men opened the emergency door and two more grabbed her. They hoisted her limp body into the vehicle. The seats were changed; they lined the sides of the bus now.

Cramped together were several others, scooped up by the madmen.

“Do NOT talk to anyone!!” she was instructed firmly.

‘I know these people—my neighbors … my friends … but WHY?’

The engine revved. The driver sped down the street and out of the neighborhood.

The interstate was crowded, but not with the usual traffic … only buses … THESE BUSES!!!

At every exit, some would depart the caravan. Maggie’s pressed on. For miles they travelled in silence and fear. Some turned to see where they were; but they couldn’t tell in the pitch dark.

Up ahead was another exit. The bus slowed and came to a stop at the end of the ramp.

“Chris … do you know what’s going on?” Maggie whispered to her next-door neighbor sitting beside her. He didn’t reply; only shrugged his shoulders. She looked into his eyes. The happy-go-lucky man she knew had vanished. Looking around at the others; they all had the same despondent expression.

They rode on for a few more miles and a well-lit complex appeared. It was surrounded by eight-foot high cinderblock walls, barbed-wire and razor-ribbon. The buildings were strangely familiar.

Maggie’s horrified thoughts became clear ‘FEMA trailers … it was true … ALL OF IT!!!’

The bus pulled up to the entrance and the driver stopped for inspection. He opened the side door and handed the guard a clipboard filled to the max with paperwork.

“OK, pass through, stop at the first building,” the guard instructed.

Slowly the bus moved forward and stopped. The silence had turned into a low moaning.

“Stand and prepare for unloading!!” the driver shouted.

All but one did.

“I said STAND, bitch!!” the driver shouted as he looked back at Maggie.

“Sir, I can’t, I’m disabled, paralyzed from my waist down.”

Suddenly she was shoved to stand and fell off the seat to the floor.

“I CAN’T STAND. YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT … WHY DIDN’T YOU BELIEVE ME???” she screamed, her eyes filled with tears.

“Get her up … NOW” the driver retorted, disgust evident in his face.

“She’ll be the last to go, get the others out of here and process them.”

Everyone moved forward except Maggie.

‘My heart is racing … my meds … I only have a few days worth in my pocket …’

The bus was now vacant as Maggie watched her friends through the window being led away. She looked at the buildings; they stretched out into oblivion. The area was well lit, but the buildings were dark and deserted.

The driver slammed the side door shut and hit the gas. Quickly they passed the white aluminum structures, one by one, she lost track at fifty. The bus stopped, the door swung open and two men entered.

“She’s back there, says she’s paralyzed. She wouldn’t stand when ordered. Take her, she’s ALL YOURS!” the driver stated with a vicious grin.

Two uniformed men strode down the aisle, their boots clicked as they walked.

“What’s your name?”

“Margaret Weiss, sir. What am I doing here, have I no rights?”

The men’s laughter echoed.

“NO!! None at all and because of your opposing voice, you never shall again. All those you have contact with will be confined as well. Your cell phone and laptop have been confiscated—vital information to put you on trial … as a civilian terrorist!”

“BUT I’M NOT! This country was once the greatest on earth. Don’t you remember? We had rights and liberties granted by the Constitution and Bill of Rights …”

“Those days are gone … your precious country has fallen!” one said brusquely.

Maggie was removed from the bus and paraded toward the compound.

Her eyes strained into the distance. Tall stacks spouted smoke and choking ash …

‘All my pink pills at once … YES! My heart will stop … this nightmare OVER …’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” ~

Entry # 1

Moon Magic

By:

Dominique Goodall

How often did one get to hunt a hunter? I knew I was lucky to get the chance – especially when it was the one animal I felt most connected to. I shivered, prompting the guide next to me to silently offer a blanket. I wrapped it around myself before inching into a seated position. My eyes scanned the forest so intently that I didn’t notice I was left alone until suddenly four wolves burst into view. They played, clashing their teeth together while they teetered on their back-legs – each seeking the superior position as leader.

I was entranced, leaning forwards until the blanket slipped from my shoulders and bared them to the freezing winter night. I was shivering, frozen enough that my teeth chattered but instantly the play stopped and four pairs of eyes fastened on me intently. I gulped, my eyes widening slightly before I stood up and looked about, frowning. I’d always wondered why the guides brought only allowed one person out at a time, and now I knew. People alone were easier to kill, to feed to the wolves which brought them their business.

I backed up as the wolves approached me with deadly focus, my breathing speeding up as I looked about and everywhere was the glitter of approaching eyes – a lupine army, ready to rend me limb from limb. I whimpered, shivering but no longer withdrawing. I would not be a coward when approaching my death. I watched in surprise as the four main ones stopped, and between one blink and the next, my guides appeared, the wolves drawing in around us until there was nowhere for us to escape.

“Peace, sister. We didn’t bring you here to feed our pack. We brought you here to offer you a choice. Will you join us under the moon, or will you choose to return back to your normal life. We’ve been seeking one like you for so long that we had grown weary but you! You will bring us back to greatness if you allow us to gift you with the power we have. We can smell the strength of the moon in your veins and it called to us until we were able to find you and bring you out here. Please, join us this Halloween night for our hunt…” Their words startled me; confused me. It was true that I’d always been fascinated by the moon; always slept better when under her comforting shine. But…magic? Me? I’d never once entertained the thought let alone the hope of that.

I was unsure what to do, what to think but my heart began to pound as one by one the guides shifted into the grey wolves that were just larger than life; larger than those surrounding. There was none of the Hollywood lies about cracking bones. It was an instantaneous change. They went from human to wolf within one step. Fixed on me were hundreds of eyes, or at least that was what it felt like but I was fixated by the wolf stepping forward, letting my hands glide over his head while he crooned. I didn’t have to say anything before the four wrapped around me, one with a head on my shoulder, one on my chest and the other two using my thighs with pillows.

It only took a nip for my blood to spill and suddenly I felt hot and then, without a single ounce of pain- I felt things different; I could see clearer and for miles and even better – I had the whole pack whispering into my mind, welcoming me with no jealousy or the ridiculous complaints I’d experienced everywhere else. I finally felt like I was…home.

We were hunters, never the hunted as we roamed the autumn night. Our breath streamed out as we ran. I adored the sound of our paws almost in unison as we, the almighty pack, hunted. Our hungers were strong that night and we happened onto a street. Orange fruits were filled with flickering lights which mimicked the glow in our eyes as we ran and ran on until we found what we were searching for.

Our jaws dripped with drool as the humans in the centre of our group panicked. The scent of their fear filled our noses, made us growl and bare our teeth. Food was something we all needed on this Halloween night, a night when nightmares were free to run the streets as we did. With so many hunting, the three humans were left as nothing more than mush and bone fragments. 

We returned to hunting, only some of our number smothered in the red gore of their meals as we looked for yet another kill, another opportunity to drive those who found the remains the next morning. We raided houses, slaughtered pets and then the occasional person who roamed the streets. None of us were sated fully by our kills though the darkness in our souls, beginning to grow all too rich and deep, took us over.

Blood-soaked muzzles surrounded me as I found my consciousness suddenly back with me, my body having shed the wolfen frame which had given me such dark and murderous delight on a night which would have normally been fraught with candy and children’s laughter. Instead of that, I could hear the screams and pleading beginning to fill the air as the muzzles dipped closer.

At first they were gentle, cleaning the blood from my own kills from my skin but soon tongues were replaced with teeth and my soft appreciative murmurs were shrieks of pain.

The Sophia Katsaros Series

From the very beginning Lykaia was a story that took hold of me and refused to let go. I first found the myth of King Lykaonas several years ago whilst doing research for an historical fiction novel set in ancient Greece. I didn’t have a reason to use that myth but the notion of stayed with me.

Last October I entered a Flash Fiction contest.Since it was Halloween themed I thought a werewolf story would work well.  I finally had the chance to incorporate this myth that had intrigued me so much. The prologue in my novel Lykaia is flash fiction piece that I wrote.

But the Lykaonas wolves were not content with a 1000 word flash fiction piece. They demanded a novel. So, I wrote one. Along the way I found a strong, intelligent and sometimes irreverent female main character named Sophia Katsaros. And like the wolves, she demanded more. She was not content with just one book. She wanted a series.

I am thrilled to announce the publication of Lykaia. Book one in the Sophia Katsaros Series.

The cover is complete and thanks to the original artwork of Chris Paradis it is gorgeous. The inspiration for the cover is an ancient urn depicting a man wearing a wolf skin in an attempt to become Wolf. In Lykaia it is Wolf that becomes Man instead of the traditional werewolf story wherein a man is bitten and transformed into an animal.  Chris created an urn with a wolf wearing the skin of a man. The result if phenomenal. I couldn’t be happier with it.

Lykaia will be available in print and e-book July 31^st with an audio version coming a few months after. Sophia had a neat orderly life. Thanks to the Lykaonas wolves and a dryad that life will never be the same again. There are so many exciting and terrifying things in store for Sophia. I hope you will come along for the ride.

Sharon Van Orman

Cover for Lykaia
Artwork by Chris Paradis

Lykethos-dolon
On display in the Louvre

Harper Collins Review of Lykaia

 Hello everyone,

As most of you know I posted a partial of Lykaia on Harper Collins' site Authonomy.com. It is a site for writers and basically serves as the slush-pile for HC. Each month the top 5 books are selected for editorial review by an HC editor.

When I first uploaded Lykaia, the last day of December 2011,  its entry rank was around 5600. Within 2 weeks it was 152 and by the end of the first month it was #10. It was selected as the #1 book on the site in March.

Generally, the reviews take months to come in, but today I received my review! I'm not unhappy with it. They said Lykaia was publishable and marketable. Which are good things. And keeping in mind that I wrote this in 7 weeks for Nanowrimo (National Novel Writer's Month) and while I edited for punctuation and grammar I've made no changes to the story. So, Lykaia in its current form is still a first draft.

Also, I recently signed a three book deal with Spore Press!  Lykaia will be traditionally published in both print and e-book form and should be out before Halloween to coincide with when the story starts.

Thank you to everyone who has come along with me on this journey. I promise to keep you posted as the adventure continues.

All the best,

Sharon

*************************Harper Collins Review of Lykaia***********************


When Dr Sophia Katsaros, a Forensic Pathologist living in modern day Chicago, receives word that her two brothers have disappeared from their apartment in Greece, she travels to Europe to learn more. Although characterised by her Western reliance on logic and empirical systems of knowledge, Dr Kat is unable to ignore her hunch that there is more to her brothers’ disappearance than is first apparent. Confronted by the cryptic reactions of the locals and disturbing body of evidence, she begins to consider the possibility that their disappearance might relate to the Lykaia: an ancient, cannibalistic ritual rumoured to transform men to wolves.

‘Lykaia’ falls within the fantasy genre, but stands out from the current fashion for epic Fantasy by using a modern setting and including elements of mystery and thriller. The narrative takes as its basis the Greek myth of King Lycaonas and his fifty sons, transformed into wolves by Zeus after challenging the God’s divinity. This works well as a hook; resituating the myth within the context of the 21st century helps you avoid ‘Lykaia’ being too niche or too overdone.

There are some areas, particularly where the plot and characterization are concerned, that are under-developed, but these could be resolved. On first reading I felt a key issue to be that, though evident, Dr Kat’s struggle to defy her natural reliance on fact and logical probability to consider the implausible is not complex enough. Further motivation for her entertainment of the possibility of the supernatural, even when the narrative sets her firmly against it, would make her dilemma more compelling.

Following on from this, Dr Kat’s inconsistent reaction to her brothers’ potential death is problematic – you need to tease out and clarify why she reacts in the way that she does: oscillating between extreme concern, grief, detachment, and curiosity. It’s not that these are an unlikely array of emotions to experience in her situation, but I didn’t believe as a reader that she was conflicted. I would have liked to have the narrative expand on the idea of ‘that other voice, the one that enabled me to do my job without breaking down [and] demanded that I set these emotions aside’ – this, I believe, could provide a rationale for what at times seem like paradoxical responses.

The writing is atmospheric and at times very effective: during the opening sequence the uncertainty as to whether we’re following a man or a wolf emphasises the animalistic nature of humans, unsettling the boundaries between reality and supernatural from the very start. You also do well to create good levels of tension throughout the novel, particularly where the narrative was both fast-paced and evocative. There are other moments, however, where you could pare the language down – sometimes the metaphors or descriptive passages can be repetitive and a hindrance to the story. The description of dawn/dusk ‘heralding’ the day/night , for example, recurs a number of times, while similes including the wooden staircase ‘that reached up towards the second floor, questing like a lover’ feel over written and not in keeping with the broader narrative tone.

At times the narrative voice can be a little wooden, mainly when in the first person. The overly-sentimental nature of Dr Kat’s emotional responses to her brothers (‘the bond that grew between my brothers and I was without measure...It was only now that I realized what I had squandered. Time. It was like the spoken word and loosened arrow, all things that could never be retrieved.’) can come across as contrived, contributing to a more general tendency to labour the point that she is dispassionate and rational without being emotionally sterile. You establish Dr Kat as likeable and relatable through other details – her sarcastic sense of humour, playfully chastising interactions with the young intern at work, and her tedious relationship with her mother – so I don’t feel that this sentimentality is necessary to ‘humanise’ her.

Structurally, I am unsure about the effectiveness of the short ‘sections’. At times these are illuminating, juxtaposing interesting elements of the text – Dr Kat dissecting dead bodies and wolves tearing them apart – while maintaining the fast pace of the narrative; but at other times they are under developed and occasionally distracting (the story hops around quite a lot!). But, I appreciate that this may be a personal preference.

Finally, the inclusion of different mythological narratives (Greek mythology alongside your conception of the ‘Queen of the woods’) could have the potential to confuse; it would be worth clarifying how these different threads are entwined. While the metamorphosis trope is clearly lifted from Greek mythology, the way it was reworked in ‘Lykaia’ wasn’t immediately clear to me: some of the wolves were more ‘man’ while others were more ‘wolf’. It’s not necessary for you to reveal everything early on or restructure the story, but you need to consolidate what has happened at each point. This might be accomplished in a dialogue between, say, Stavros and the Wolf King, who could state in more explicit terms what has occurred without detracting from the suspense. I found that it was only on a second reading that some things became clear, but you can’t rely on all readers taking such considerations, so it’s important to ensure the details are clearly drawn out for a first time reader.

In all, I think you have a very marketable concept and that that writing is generally good. It does need some work though, but if you are willing to take time to conduct edits, and work on some of the issues raised above (all of which are a testimony to how engaging your character and plot really are), then I think that ‘Lykaia’ has definite publishing potential, and I wish you the best of luck with it.

To My Unknown Friends…. Happy is he who...writes from the love of imparting certain thoughts and not from the necessity of sale-who writes always to the unknown friend. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

 I am a writer, though I would never aspire to be an author. It is a term that seems far above what I do. Which is to say that I write so that the stories in my head quite down a bit so that I can navigate my life.

Last October I wrote a Halloween themed Flash Fiction piece called “Lykaia”. The story evolved from the Greek Myth of King Lykaonas who was cursed by Zeus to become a wolf. The very first werewolf. In fact the term Lycanthropy comes from this myth.

In November I entered Lykaia into the National Novel Writers Month contest or NaNoWriMo. I finished the book just before Christmas at around 83,000 words. I then took the finished novel and uploaded it to Authonomy in January. It was selected in March for the editor’s desk.

A couple of weeks ago I began the submission process. And after speaking with several publishers on the phone and reviewing a few contracts I chose to go with Spore Press. They are a small press but ultimately they are the ones that seemed most excited about my book. I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

This story, that was just an exercise in a new genre, has grown into a full length book, and now into a series. Dr. Sophia Katsaros is a fun character to write. She is intelligent, witty and quick on her feet with a wry sense of humor. What more could you want in a heroine?

And so I am pleased to announce that Lykaia will be available in e-book and print in time for Halloween. I hope that you will enjoy going on this journey with Dr. Kat as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I will be sure to keep everyone posted. Until then, my unknown friend, happy reading.

Sharon

Statement from Spore Press:
Signed three book deal with Sharon Van Orman for her series of thrilling books that span the 5,000 year history of lycans: beginning with Zeus cursing King Lykaonas of Arcadia and his fifty sons, their histories, the secret religious society that has looked after the lycan since the beginning, and the modern female protagonist who is threatening to expose it all. I called her the minute I finished the first read through and told her we had to have her books. It is that good. We will be rearranging the schedule to get this out in June.


You can find me on Facebook at:

 https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=563972298

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sharon-Van-Orman/104637372952495
 
Also check out Spore Press at :

 http://sporepress.com/

Lykaia

Lykaia is my new Paranormal Thriller. It all started as a Flash Fiction piece and grew into a full length novel. I am currently working on book 2.

There is portion of Lykaia uploaded on Authonomy. If you would like to read some, just follow the link.

http://authonomy.com/books/40253/lykaia/


“We are the terrors that hunt the night. And we have never been human”


In Greek mythology there’s a story of King Lycaonas of Arcadia and his fifty sons who were cursed by the father of the gods, Zeus, to become wolves. The very first Lycanthropes. 



Forensic pathologist, Sophia Katsaros, receives a cryptic phone call from Greece telling her that her brothers are missing and leaves to search for them. With the help of Illyanna, her brother’s girlfriend, Sophia examines the evidence but cannot accept a bizarre possibility: Has one or both of her brothers been transformed during the Lykaia, the ceremony where Man is said to become Wolf?

Who is Marcus, a dark stranger that both repels and excites her? And what is the real story behind the 5000 year old curse of King Lycaonas?