Into the Night

Today, as part of our Guest Author’s appearance, we’re posting some reviews of Barbara Scott’s work.  See what others say about Barbara’s work:

TUG OF WAR 

214 pgs, 1st ed., paper,  grs. 7-12;  

US$7.95 (ISBN 0-943864-70-4). 

http://www.maydavenportpublishers.com/

“This engaging novel  should interest young and elderly readers. It’s American History in 1854 with canon balls, rifles, too, in the streets of the abolitionist state of Kansas. There are adventuresome, some unprincipled, characters: ruthless bounty hunters from MO; idealist mummers from Philadelphia dramatizing “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in Kansas with MO ruffians terrorizing them with tragic consequences.”  — Teresa A. Dickey, Marymount HS, CA 

CAST A PALE SHADOW

“Barbara Scott’s psychological drama weaves a story that has you on the edge of your seat.”  — Dawn Blankenship, Rumpled Sheets

Find out more about Cast A Pale Shadow at http://www.barbarascottink.com

HAUNTS OF THE HEART

“HAUNTS OF THE HEART opens new vistas in the romance genre–where, to my knowledge, it is unique (and

most wonderfully so), breaking most of the established “rules” of what a romance should be and making us wonder why the rules were established in the first place.” — Patricia White,  Under the Covers Book Reviews

Find out more about Haunts of the Heart at www.barbarscottink.com

     Have you ever felt like you’ve let who you really are slip away?  I  have.  Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my life, and the times I’ve been the happiest, and I’ve come to realize that the happiest times of my life were when I was immersed in learning (school, research, etc), creating, and helping other people.  I’ve spent a lot of my life volunteering for causes in which I believe.  In recent years, however, I’ve become swallowed by the day-to-day, and the corporate machine.  And I’ve been miserable in it.  Instead of feeding my soul, I’ve been draining it of everything that’s so important to me.

     Why do I bring this up?  Because I believe that everyone should take at least one moment in their lives and consider what really makes them happy.  Find that part of yourself that says “I am happiest when I___________.”  The blank can be anything.  And you’ll be surprised to realize that at some point in your life, you had exactly what made you feel happy and fulfilled.  But, if you’re like most people (myself included), you’ve let that slip away in the raging river of what’s expected from you.  Now, ask yourself one question:  When was the last time I expected something of my life?” 

   Notice I said “I”… Not “what everyone else thinks I should expect from me.”  Look deep inside yourself, and you’ll see that the number one expectation you have of yourself is to be happy.  And are you?  Are you genuinely happy with what you do every day?  Do you want to be more, to feel more, to experience life more fully?

   If your answer to any of those questions was “Yes!” then you’re already on the right track.  Sometimes, it’s difficult to break out of the constraints of what we know everyone else expects of us.  But consider honestly - do you think anyone expected the Wright brothers to build flying machines that would actually give us flight?  No.  They were expected to build bicycles.  The dreams others laugh at, scoff at, or disapprove of are sometimes the things that turn out to be the greatest steps we can take. 

    My point? Be willing to dream, and UNwilling to give up on those dreams. Be willing to stand up for what you believe in, even if the rest of the world thinks you’re crazy.  Be outrageous at least once in your life, do something unexpected every day, and find the part of yourself that children understand, and adults bury away - the part that still believes.

This piece is excerpted from a Science Fiction Romance I’m working on, entitled Dead Men… 

Hope you enjoy!  As always, please leave comments and let me know what you think!

 ”The Lexus Chamber” - Excerpted from Dead Men…

copyright 2008 by Esther Mitchell

   At the Section docking hanger, Calli powered down her Flitter and unstrapped her helmet as she made her way into the nearly deserted facility.  She dropped the helmet on her desk and kept going toward the Lexus Chamber.

   “What are you doing back here?”

   Calli stopped as Bethanie stepped out of the lab, and her own brows lifted in mock surprise.  “I could ask you the same thing.”

   Bethanie grinned.  “I never left.  I’m running a hazardous chemical analysis that’s very sensitive.  I can’t leave until it’s done.  What’s your excuse?”

   “I had a breakthrough.”

   “More like a breakdown,” a new voice said, and Calli swung around to glare at Cade accusingly.

    “You followed me!”

    “Damn straight I did, darlin’.  You’re determined to kill yourself.”

    “Go to Hell!” She brushed past him to reach the Lexus Chamber.  If she was lucky, he wouldn’t follow her.  But, of course, she wasn’t that lucky.  She could hear his booted feet on the concrete floor behind her.  She ignored him, setting up for a direct jack-in that would allow her a straight free-dive into restricted space.  She had a name to find, and she didn’t have time to scour the Lexus for a back door.

   “Do you even know what you’re doing?”  Cade’s hand slapped over the power conduit, keeping her from plugging the jack in.

   She jerked back and glared at him again.  She sure as hell knew what she was doing, unlike him.

    “I’m working.”

    “Bullshit, angel.  You–”

    ”Like you’d know.”  She straightened then, her breath frozen in her lungs and her eyes wide as what he said finally registered.  Angel.  “What did you call me?”

    He frowned, as if replaying his words in his head, and she swore she caught the flicker of panic in his eyes, if only for an instant.

   “Nothing.  Calli, you haven’t worked this hard on a case in years, from what I’ve heard.”

   Her eyes narrowed.  “From who?”

   “Your brother.  The captain.  Hell, everyone.”  He gave her a strange look she couldn’t decipher.  “They all say you’re a workaholic, but that you’ve never taken a case personally, before.”

   She rolled her eyes.  “Who says it’s personal?”

   “Please.  You’ve been ready to go to the wall - Hell, you hacked an Earth Council facility - for this case.  I want to know why.  What makes this case different?”

  She glared at him, even as her suspicion meter pegged out.  Just how the hell did he know what she did in her home Lexus Chamber?