Transcript Document

Gallimaufry
-One-
Beth Henderson/
J.B. Dane
Author of 25 published novels with over
600,000 copies sold worldwide, Beth Henderson
is currently switching gears from contemporary
and historical romance over to mystery. As J.B.
Dane her short story “Getting Rid of Murray” was
published by Great Mystery and Suspense
Magazine in the Fall of 2006. Arden’s Touch
(included in full on the Gallimaufry One CD) was
one of her first published novels. She was also a
finalist twice—just out of the money—in Dayton
Daily News short story contest. Also on the
Gallimaufry One CD is an article she wrote
particularly for inclusion, “So You Want To Write A
Book.”
At Twilight
has sold over
7000 copies in
the US &
Canada. It was
published in
2004
RECKLESS
over 131,000
copies sold in
US, Canada,
Switzerland,
Belgium, Latin
America, Brazil,
& the UK.
It was published
in 1997
WICKED
has over 84,000
copies sold in the
US, Canada,
France, Germany,
Italy, & Brazil.
It was published in
2002
INCLUDED COMPLETE ON THE GALLIMAUFRY ONE CD
Charlie Arden’s
assignment was to do all
she could to either prove
the existence of ghosts or
to prove the McCrimmon
family was willing to do
anything for publicity…
All, that is, except resist
the man who haunted her
dreams and who made her
want to love again.
Arden’s Touch
So You Want to Write a Book….
by Beth Henderson
Advice from the author of
25 published novels with
over 600,000 copies sold!
Been dissatisfied with the tomes you’ve
been picking up at the library, checkout
stand, or your local bookstore? Have you
found yourself saying, “I could write a
better book than this.” Or perhaps this
is your scenario: you’ve always enjoyed
reading and could never get enough
written assignments when in school to be
totally happy. “One day,” you told
yourself, “I’m going to write a book!” If
either of those examples rings true to
you, I have only one question: Why
haven’t you written a book?
Mary McCurdy
Mary McCurdy is a native of southwestern
Ohio. Along with writing historicals, she
teaches art and is an employee of the
largest historical society in the country.
Mary’s passion is the late 18th to mid-19th
century. Her tales are a blend of intrigue
and adventure coupled with a healthy dash
of romance and the occasional comedic
twist.
My French Rebel (included in full on
the Gallimaufry One CD) is her first
venture into the public arena as a writer of
traditional historicals, though she has
already built a large fan following on the
internet under the pen name of Marla F.
Fair.
Mary McCurdy’s My French Rebel
And then she saw him.
Like something out of one of the novels she had
read when she was at school – the ones her mother
forbade. He had shining hair, copper as the coat of
her English filly. He was slender, and from what
she could tell, rather tall – though his long, lean
frame was curled up like a baby and covered with
a coating of frost since he lay nestled in the
shadows of the berry bushes where the sun had not
penetrated. His skin was pale by nature but
blotched with red…
As Augusta turned away, Charlotte saw
something that gave her pause. The dark woolen
vest the young man wore had pulled away from his
shoulder. The fine linen shirt underneath
was thick with frozen blood. He was wounded.
And that probably meant he was a rebel....
Charlotte Burington’s life has taken a turn for
the worse. As the daughter of a veteran British
General sent to the Colonies to fight against ‘those
damned Rebels’, she finds herself exiled to the 18th
century provincial town of Darby, Pennsylvania,
where life couldn’t get any duller! Until one day
her little sister Augusta makes a startling
discovery which will propel Charlotte on an
exciting and dangerous course that will alter her
life and her destiny forever.
My French Rebel by Mary McCurdy
…James spent three
quarters of an hour
searching the farmhouse
and the immediate
grounds and then,
becoming truly
frightened, headed out
into the surrounding
woods. As he approached
a brace of trees, standing
tall in the mounting
sunlight, he heard a voice
lifted in earnest prayer.
Drawing closer, James
spied the commander-inchief of the Continental
Army on his knees, his
hands locked together and
resting on the surface of a
rock – treating with his
God.
My French Rebel
By Mary McCurdy
A hand cold as pond ice gripped his and he heard his brother’s
exasperated words. “You never would listen. See where that
stubbornness has brought you now? If you had listened to me, James,
the ball would have missed you.”
He caught the icy fingers weakly in his own. Through pain and
nausea he asked, “Joseph, how? You’re…dead.”
Joseph nodded as he reached out and touched his forehead, brushing
away hair matted with blood. “Yes, I am. I was sent to prevent this.
It should not have happened.”
K. Lynn Smythe
The Gallimaufries made an exception in K. Lynn
Smythe’s case when they accepted her as a
member. She was the only person in the group
who had not taken Beth’s novel writing course
at Edison Community College, the wellspring
from which the Gallimaufry group had, er,
spawned. She has since rectified that
omission, and can proudly say she actually
finished the romantic-suspense-thriller she
began writing as one of the assignments.
Currently she is polishing Destiny In Ice and
shopping for an agent and publishing house.
Her first love when it came to the written word
was for romantic time travel tales. The Black
Countess & the Brotherhood of the
Cross Bones is such a tale and is included in
full on the Gallimaufry One CD.
K. Lynn Smythe’s
The Black Countess & the
Brotherhood of the Cross Bones
"Just don't spend a lot of time on the upper stair landing. The one between the
second and third floor."
"Well, I won't be going up there tonight; it's too dark."
"Don't go up there at all if you can help it."
"Well, for crying-out-loud. Don't tell me you believe any of that."
"There are more things in heaven and earth, or however the saying goes, my dear
Horatio. Besides, if this place is haunted it's she that haunts it. Her portrait hangs
on that landing."
"Who?"
"Why the Black Countess, of course. Many murders are attributed to her; some
even said to have taken place right here in the house. Several husbands. Your
father always avoided the portrait, seemed to feel as if the Countess was looking at
him. Don't say I didn't warn you….
The Countess Ami Villiers descended the brick spiral stairs that led into the belly of Orchid Hall. The first landing was more
brick halls and doors that led to the servant's quarters; where they worked and lived. But, the stairs continued on their journey
down into a lower basement level that led to a labyrinth of lower tunnels. Some ran out to the gardens and others led down to
the beach.
Ami took a heavy metal key from her pocket and unlocked a thick door at the end of one of the many halls that radiated
out from the bottom of the stairs. She clutched at the pistol hidden inside the pocket beneath her gown as the door swung
open with an ancient creak of rusted metal.
"What do you want?" the man asked...
“....My question, Sir Hungerford, is in regards to a gem. There are rumors of a man who has arrived here in Jamaica from
the Ile de la Tortue off the coast of Hispaniola. He carries with him a gem to sell. Normally gems do not interest me, but
gems with power do. I can buy whatever gem I desire, but rumor says this gem is different. It is rumored to hold powers.
Much like you were. I've come to believe these myths. It's an emerald.”
Excerpt from
The Black Countess
& the Brotherhood of the Cross Bones
The Black Countess by
K Lynn Smythe
"Do no attempt to play the ignorant fool with me, Sir Hungerford. I know
your background. Before I purchased you from Syria, you left Britain and later
joined the Barbary corsairs to avoid being beheaded. You were captured and
spent years as a slave. You served aboard a Barbary galley…."
The old man seemed to straighten on his bench.
"Until one day your ship came upon a fleet of Christian vessels and a battle
ensued. You joined the ranks of the Muslim Janissaries attacking the fleet and
were able to stow aboard one of the Christian ships, thus being rescued. When
they realized you were European, they made you a member of the crew. You
eventually earned the right to captain your own ship. But you had heard things
while you suffered your imprisonment, fantastic stories of captured castles and
deeply hidden relics of power and knowledge.
"You collected objects of power, relics, stories. You followed them until they
showed you their secrets. The stories said you found something buried far
beneath one of those castles. The Krak des Chevaliers, the Castle of Knights. I
want what you found, Sir Hungerford…."
M. Cummins Fair
is a native of southwestern
Ohio and, along with writing
fantasies, is a colored pencil
artist and works in the field
of museums. As a child M.
Cummins Fair spent the days
outdoors searching for fairy
rings, talking to the trees and
staring into ponds waiting for
mermaids to appear. Truth to tell,
she still does.
WINGS OF DUST is a short story based
on her fantasy world of
THE GODSFIRE CHRONICLES which is as
yet unpublished.
WINGS OF DUST
by M Cummins Fair
H’Wira rose wearily to her feet and returned
to the edge of her rocky perch. She crouched
and locked the talons of one hand in the rock,
while resting the other on her furry thigh.
Drawing a deep breath the enchanted creature
returned to her baleful duty and scanned the
lightless night searching for a sign.
And found it.
A lone form moved on the common road. A
slight figure cloaked and hooded. H’Wira rose
and sniffed the air, catching her quarry’s scent.
Female. Mortal but not. Living, breathing. Alive
but once dead. Young.
Ancient.
Biting back a cry of triumph the hahrp’ya
slipped silently off the edge and began her
descent – a great winged shadow falling
without sound into the deeper pool of night. At
the bottom H’Wira noiselessly folded her great
wings and turned in the direction of her prey….
Jane Staley
Jane Staley joined the Gallimaufry
group as a published author of nonfiction articles, many about
gardening. Since then she has finished
(and shelved) a romance novel, dabbled
with historical fiction, and had one short
story receive an honorable mention in
the Edison Community College short
story contest, and saw another short
story in print in the Commercial Review
(IN) in December 2007. The
Reckoning is a short
story she has included on the
Gallimaufry One CD.
The Reckoning
By Jane Staley
After pulling three forbidden darts and an atlatl from
underneath the neatly rolled skins beside her sleeping mat, the
pregnant woman stalked onto the village commons. Noticing the
grumbles and glances of reproach from the other women, Copper
Cloud reminded them of her heritage by raking long fingers
through the striking, metallic colored forelock, the legacy of the
Medicine Woman.
Like all adults in the tribe, she coiled her long obsidian black
hair into a severe bun. Only Copper Cloud and her grandmother
sported the coppery bangs that matched their polished copper ear spools and other prized ornaments
crafted of the copper from the Great North Lakes Region. Motioning for the others to proceed to the
gardens with their baskets and bags, she called encouragement.
“Let’s hustle, Sisters and Little Brothers. We must pick all the
good squash and carry them to shelter before dark, because it
feels like Old Man Winter is blowing down a hard freeze for
tonight...”
Russ Osborn
is a brave man. The only
male among the women of
the Gallimaufry Writers
Group, he is a semi-retired
engineer working on three
techno-thrillers – so long
as doing so doesn’t
interfere with fishing and
golfing. He is one of the
founding members of the
Gallimaufry group.
Two of Russ’ non-technothriller short stories are
included on the first
Gallimaufry CD, and he
hopes to have new stories
on the website soon.
RUSSELL OSBORN’S - Triple Axel
Jack’s eyes were glued on the tall blond as she quickly crossed the exercise area, grabbed a
treadmill sign-up sheet and, pencil in hand, scrawled her name in one of the time slots. For the
third time in a week he had witnessed this process and each time a smile drifted across his
face. This young woman, whoever she was, had a monkey on her back. Her attractive face
carried a continuous scowl. She was abrupt with anyone who tried to make conversation, and
she nearly bit the head off of a young weight room assistant when he offered to spot for her
while she was bench-pressing. That would be Jack’s opening. When she hit the bench today he
would go over and spot.
A salt and pepper-haired retired engineer would not be so easily dismissed….
RUSSELL OSBORN’S - Melody 49
The Ford LTD made a crunching sound on the packed gravel driveway as it snaked its way
toward the Melody 49 box office; one of many in a long line of cars that had arrived late for the
first show. The sun was just setting behind the newly blossomed trees that lined the old fence
marking the drive-in theater’s perimeter. The evening was warm, for this early in May, hinting
that summer might come early this year.
“Whose idea was it that we go to the drive-in on a Saturday night date?” asked Carol, a hint of
exasperation in her voice.
Frank’s companion was dressed in slacks and a short sleeved yellow blouse... She wore several
gold chains around her neck and a single fine meshed gold bracelet on her left wrist. Carol was
overdressed for the drive-in, but at this point in the evening she held out hope for some
“clubbing” after the movie. This was their third date, and Carol was becoming interested in her
newfound companion, a retired automobile company executive and recent widower, with both
time and money on his hands…
Nioma (pronounced knee’-oma) Stephan has been writing
for nearly thirty years. Her
first novel LOW BRIDGE,
published in 2006, is an
historical about the life and
times surrounding the Miami
and Erie Canal here in
Western Ohio. Because of
contract obligations, she was
unable to contribute to the
selections on the Gallimaufry
One CD, but her book can be
purchased through
www.publishamerica.com
LOW BRIDGE by Nioma Stephan
Come along. Let’s escape back into that long past era, to a time when Ohio was in its infancy and much of
the land was covered with forest and swamp. Meet Adam Miller, an orphan who starts a new life at the age of
four. Follow him through his early life and into adulthood as he becomes a canal boat Captain.
Watch him mature, making quick, sometimes heavy-weighted decisions, affecting not only himself but his
friends, family, and new immigrants as they begin to populate Ohio. See how he handles the escaped-slave
situation while still maintaining his livelihood.
Come ride the canal boat and view the passing scenery. At the same time, begin to learn and understand the
business end of the canal while experiencing its excitement as well as its imminent dangers.
Born and raised in the foothills of the
Appalachian Mountains of Northeast
Tennessee, Rebekah has been writing
in some sort or fashion since middle
school.
Romance novels were always in the
house where she grew up so it only
came naturally that she would be
compelled to write them.
There are two short romance stories
available by her on this cd.
Rebekah is hoping to have her first
full length novel published later this
summer.
EYES OF GRACE
The fury raged just below the surface. Deep
enough that he could keep it in check, but not so far
down that he could fool anyone into thinking there
was nothing wrong.
“Take it easy, William. She needs you to be with
her now. Not wasting your energy or your anger on
him.” Jess slipped around the edge of the hospital
bed after she’d whispered her advice.
William wasn’t sure if it was worry he saw in the
woman’s eyes or fear. Taking a deep breath, he let
his shoulders relax. After all, Jess was right. Grace
needed all the energy from him that he could give
her. Getting even with Tyler for putting such an
innocent in a hospital bed would have to wait. The
idiot was bound to be long gone by now anyway.
This time there had been witnesses. The simple fact
that there had been other times is what he couldn’t
quite come to grips with.
BECKY MCCOY
Collision Course
Why did they have to play that song now? With every
word and every note the memories came flooding
back. He hadn’t seen her deep emerald eyes for a
year now, but he could close his and see the unshed
tears that had made them sparkle.
It was the song that had been playing on the radio
when they had gone into her dorm room graduation
night. A love song….
“One year, Collin. That’s all I’m asking you for. I’ll
meet you back right here at noon in one year.”
Letting her leave that day without him had been a
mistake he would have to live with for the rest of his
life...