SURPRISE!
I am excited to reveal the cover for my fourth book in The Stones of Power series from Wyvern’s Peak Publishing…
THE SERPENT’S KISS by Laurie Bell
Paperback available now
“Tell him the truth, Tracey. Just don’t tell him everything…”
Four Stones of Power are secure, and Timothy is trapped inside the Serpent’s Kiss. Despite all odds, including a heart-wrenching betrayal by a mentor, Tracey and her friends have succeeded once more.
The only problem is that they are keeping the possession of the Crow’s Heart a secret from the grown-ups. Oh, and Tracey is keeping her recent possession of the Serpent’s Kiss from her friends. Oh, and Timothy won’t stop talking to her from inside the Serpent’s Kiss, and for some reason Stephanie has gone completely silent inside the Butterfly Stone… oh, and her crush won’t respond to her texts.
No longer sure of who she can trust, Tracey is forced to make riskier and more difficult decisions in her search for the final two Stones of Power. But an anonymous watcher and a creeping presence in her home town are making their own moves, bringing the mystery to her own doorstep.
As a dangerous hunter comes calling, Tracey takes matters into her own hands. But can she protect everyone and do what needs to be done while still keeping those hands clean?
COMING SOON
PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
The meeting was set for nine.
She perched up at the corner, able to see into the alley and out onto the street. The parcel grew in weight the longer she stood there. Every passerby she watched with a narrowed gaze. Her hands grew sweaty. She did not put the parcel down.
The clocktower down the street hit nine.
No one came.
She tore the parcel open when she was several blocks away. The alien tech shimmered like a mirror under the streetlight. Someone got to her contact. She had to hide and wait. They’ll find me. If they can.
This is a Friday Fictioneers Prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
The stop was meant to be a fast. In and out. Water, a snack maybe and back out on the road. It was coming today. She had to get out to the dirt track where she first saw the lights. She’d see them again and this time she’d be ready with her phone recording everything.
Then she saw the kid. Wide-eyed. Hiding behind the shelf stand. “Are you lost?” She held out her hand.
The kid seemed to shimmer before her eyes. Small and gray. Big eyes still. Black fathomless pools.
It took her hand. With a blur they disappeared.
This is a Friday Fictioneers prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
PHOTO PROMPT © Roger Bultot
It was all they had left of him.
The strange wizard in his odd clothing. If he had magic, why would he need spectacles? The thought stayed with her, twisting and curling inside her mind. If he had magic how did he die? He should have survived the battle. He should still be here.
The celebration hit its zenith, in the downstairs bar. She could hear the cheers and chants and toasts.
She couldn’t go down yet. Instead, she sat in the dark. She toasted the spectacles. “We lived. Because of you. You should be here.”
She headed downstairs alone.
This is a Friday Fictioneers Prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
PHOTO PROMPT © Sandra Crook
“How gorgeous those little white blooms look, and to be found in such an unexpected spot, what a unique find, my dear.”
“I’ve heard stories, you know.”
“Oh, not another one of your tall tales.”
“Not at all. Do you want to hear?”
“Oh, go on.”
“I’ve heard, that when a water sprite dies, these flowers rise up in their place. To mark the spot so that their people can find them and one day return them home.”
“A lovely story.”
Beneath the waves, several glowing lights wait for dark. They’d found her at last. Time to bring her home.
This is a Friday Fictioneers Prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
She stood and watched the sunset.
They’d done it. Saved the world from the alien invaders. So many dead, so many lost, so much damage. And yet… look at that sunset. So peaceful in this moment. With only the flooded courtyard where she now stood and the still and silent forest for miles around. They’d failed to breach the temple. She and her team won the day. But…
They’d count the dead and the stolen tomorrow. Figure out how to build ships to bring the lost home and take the fight to the invaders.
For now. She breathed.
And wept.
This is a Friday Fictioneers prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word Count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
PHOTO PROMPT ©Yvette Prior
Rain hit the window hard enough pepper tinny pings in a cascade that grew louder as the storm intensified. The edge of the hurricane had hit. Too late to evacuate. Hunkering down here was her only option. She cursed the broken portal igniter she had cast away when the chance of quick return was lost. It was planned as only a short hop. Review the current landscape and return to let the folks at home know it was time to launch the invasion. Curse the unpredictable Earth weather! She doubted there’d be much left to invade when the time came.
This is a Friday Fictioneers Prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson
I wondered what had made them flee so fast. It couldn’t be my presence. There’s nothing scary about me. Besides, I made no sound as I travelled. I only wanted to see what they were doing. I watched from the shadows as the images formed on the canvas. They faced the trees, they must have painted from memory. What were they remembering? I wanted to ask. But that is not my role. My role is to observe and feed on the memories. Once I eat, the memory is gone. I settle in to wait. Someone new will come along soon.
This is a Friday Fictioneers prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
Everybody needs good neighbours…
When Claire Corral goes missing from her home on Carnation Way, her neighbour Jamie isn’t too concerned. He’s busy-caring for his dad, recovering from a broken heart and eating himself into a bigger pair of pants.
Then the police turn up.
Is Claire’s disappearance connected with the body found next door thirteen years ago? Does Jamie’s father, now grappling with dementia, know more about these events than he should? And then there’s Tess, equal parts mysterious and charming, who just moved in at number thirty-five…
As Jamie asks around, an unsettling picture begins to form. Perhaps quiet, respectable Carnation Way is home to the same secrets and heartaches as any other neighbourhood-with a few more murders thrown in.
Zane Lovitt, the Ned Kelly Award-winning author of The Midnight Promise, returns with a gloriously entertaining and compelling suburban mystery-thriller.
My thoughts
I really enjoyed this one. A book that grabbed me from the first few pages and wouldn’t let go.
An Australian suburban murder mystery. Well written and full of strong Australian vibes, this is a murder mystery that asks a lot of questions. Told uniquely through two voices, one – recently divorced middle-aged Jamie who is now living with his father who has dementia, and the second – Claire – through her diary – written more than 13 years earlier. Both narratives tell the story of the strange murder mystery that once gripped this little “normal” cul-de-sac. The diary describes the mysterious circumstances of a body found beneath a neighbour’s house and the steps Claire took to investigate that mystery. And Jamie, in the present, piecing together the now missing Claire’s history and therefore also investigating the murder of the body found many years earlier. To solve one case is to solve the other. Both narratives unravel the mysteries that grip this seemingly normal little suburban locale. Zane Lovitt does a terrific job with this dual narrative. Both voices are unique and full of life and colour. This book also presents a unique time and place in Australia. (One I’m immensely familiar with given I’m a Melbourne girl myself.) If you enjoy a hearty Aussie mystery – this is a great read.
PHOTO PROMPT © David Stewart
“I know what you did. I know everything. I am their vengeance summoned from the depths. The only reason you hear me now is because it is already too late. You are dead and you haven’t realized it yet. I shall enjoy the moment it sinks in. Seeing the paleness of your skin bleach further, hair turn whiter, there is no escape for you.”
A spray of red hits the snowy streets. A gurgle. An airless gasp. A dark shadow rises as a pit opens up beneath. A body falls. Sealed shut once more. A silent street. A baby cries.
This is a Friday Fictioneers Prompt
You can read more FF prompt responses here
Word Count: 100
© Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by Solothefirst & Laurie Bell. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models.
Rambles, writing and amusing musings 