Ancient Musings — Skhye Moncrief
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Published:
Aug-2012 -
Formats:
eBook -
Rating:
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Pages:
131 -
Purchase:
Story length: Novella/29,700 words (only story body used to calculate the length); approximately 120 pages if released in print
Heat Level: spicy
Genre: fantasy romance, paranormal romance
BLURB:
One's darkness proves the other's light.
Bored with her muse duties and unable to face immortality another day, Calliope, the muse of writing and epic poetry, asks Zeus to end her eternal existence. Zeus sends her to Hades instead. Deep down in the underworld lies a pool from which all life springs. If Calliope can find it, she can request death of Gaia at Gaia's pool.
Deceased twentieth-century archaeologist's psyche, Jake Genoese, comes to her aid. More from the fact he's riding her coattails. He's embarking on a journey to whatever lies beyond the River Acheron--early. He wasn't buried with an obol to expedite his trip to the afterlife. So, he "borrows" Calliope's.
Oh, to live and never know you've lived...The Sacred Hours sing as passion blooms from ANCIENT MUSINGS.
Heat Level: spicy
Genre: fantasy romance, paranormal romance
BLURB:
One's darkness proves the other's light.
Bored with her muse duties and unable to face immortality another day, Calliope, the muse of writing and epic poetry, asks Zeus to end her eternal existence. Zeus sends her to Hades instead. Deep down in the underworld lies a pool from which all life springs. If Calliope can find it, she can request death of Gaia at Gaia's pool.
Deceased twentieth-century archaeologist's psyche, Jake Genoese, comes to her aid. More from the fact he's riding her coattails. He's embarking on a journey to whatever lies beyond the River Acheron--early. He wasn't buried with an obol to expedite his trip to the afterlife. So, he "borrows" Calliope's.
Oh, to live and never know you've lived...The Sacred Hours sing as passion blooms from ANCIENT MUSINGS.
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Excerpt:
Calliope needed to reach the gleaming river before the cloaking jet-black veils of the underworld fell back into place. But who had spoken, she wondered. Who commanded the river to show itself? Surely not Uncle Hades. Something was watching me--or many things. Legend spoke of the first level of the underworld, a place where souls waited to cross the River Acheron. Those who had offered me guidance had to be the deceased waiting to pass. But why couldn't I see the river until the voices commanded it to show?
A black dot appeared at the far side of the river.
No. Not the Acheron fading back into its hiding place. That would be cruel. I must hurry before the light vanishes. I clutched fistfuls of soft skirt high and hopped into a trot.
The glimmering Acheron didn't fade away. A raft floated toward the bank waiting at my hem. Void of cargo, the boat was. Yet, the water radiated an eerie silver luminosity that sketched out a solitary and legendary figure aboard the flat vessel. My great, great-uncle, Charon. He manned the pole that pushed his empty raft across the mercurial Acheron.
It seemed fitting to shout make way for the Fate who escorts souls to their judgment.
Charon's steady lifting and pushing with his pole showed his job every bit as tedious as a Fate's job would be. So much for duty.
The large burly god hefted his pole out of the water so slowly that I could see the lower two-thirds was a blade.
Undoubtedly, a sword to help with his duty.
What will he do when he learns I don't have an obol? Make allowances for distant relatives? No relative had ever needed a ride though. It will be best to use another sweet drop of nectar. "Greetings, Uncle." I waved a hand high.
Charon thrust his gnarled chin my direction and squinted his large bulging eyes.
Good thing I was born after the Olympians. Having finely-hewn features is a perk when compared to having primordial bug eyes and hairy abs.
He leaned against the pole and sent his dark empty raft skimming toward the bank. "No herald noted a muse was on the way. Calliope, how come you to my river?"
A black dot appeared at the far side of the river.
No. Not the Acheron fading back into its hiding place. That would be cruel. I must hurry before the light vanishes. I clutched fistfuls of soft skirt high and hopped into a trot.
The glimmering Acheron didn't fade away. A raft floated toward the bank waiting at my hem. Void of cargo, the boat was. Yet, the water radiated an eerie silver luminosity that sketched out a solitary and legendary figure aboard the flat vessel. My great, great-uncle, Charon. He manned the pole that pushed his empty raft across the mercurial Acheron.
It seemed fitting to shout make way for the Fate who escorts souls to their judgment.
Charon's steady lifting and pushing with his pole showed his job every bit as tedious as a Fate's job would be. So much for duty.
The large burly god hefted his pole out of the water so slowly that I could see the lower two-thirds was a blade.
Undoubtedly, a sword to help with his duty.
What will he do when he learns I don't have an obol? Make allowances for distant relatives? No relative had ever needed a ride though. It will be best to use another sweet drop of nectar. "Greetings, Uncle." I waved a hand high.
Charon thrust his gnarled chin my direction and squinted his large bulging eyes.
Good thing I was born after the Olympians. Having finely-hewn features is a perk when compared to having primordial bug eyes and hairy abs.
He leaned against the pole and sent his dark empty raft skimming toward the bank. "No herald noted a muse was on the way. Calliope, how come you to my river?"
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Book one in a previously-published series written for The Wild Rose Press.
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Books in the series:
1--Ancient Musings by Skhye Moncrief
2--Highland Muse by Sky Purington
3--Destiny's Light by RG Porter
4--The Hour Glass Witch by Alisha Paige
5--Dancing With Fate by Hywela Lyn
6--The Brightest Heaven by Masha Holl
7--No Funny Stuff by Michelle Hart
(***the last 2 are currently being formatted for re-release)
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***DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER 99-CENT SERIES: TIME GUARDIANS!
Click on any of the links above to see more books like this one.
EDITIONS
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- Aug-2012
- Skhye Moncrief
- eBook
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- Aug-2012
- Skhye Moncrief
- eBook (Kindle)