Yay! Not sure what is more exciting, that we made a little bit of money or that we no longer have the debt associated with that mortgage. Either way, yay.
Gordon bestowed his crud upon me. I am high on Advil Cold and Sinus and working furiously on the final battle for Hugh’s book. Here is a small snippet.
Johanna touched her arm. Elara looked up. Serenity Helton was walking toward them, oblivious to people scurrying all around her, a blank look on her face. Elara’s heart dropped. She hurried forward and grabbed Serenity’s hands. “What is it?”
The seer stared at her unblinking. Her lips moved, but no sound came.
“They’re coming!” Johanna whipped around to the gates. “She’s saying ‘they’re coming’ over and over!”
The anxiety that clamped Elara over the last few days burst in a scalding rush.
“Hurry,” she whispered, sending her voice through the entire castle. “They’re coming. Hurry.”
The people scattered. In the village a bell rang. Hugh came running around the corner.
“They’re coming,” she told him, pointing at Serenity.
He glanced at the seer and spun off, barking orders. Elara climbed the steps to the outer and to the top of the flanking tower. From here, she could see the entire village. People ran, streaming to the castle.
Come on, she urged in her head. Come on.
Iron Dogs poured out of the gate, forming a protective line, shielding the evacuees. On top of the keep and on the towers, the ballistae and catapult teams cranked the massive siege weapons. She heard chanting, almost in unison, as the artillery teams primed the sorcerous bolts.
Shapeshifters burst out of the woods, running at top speed toward the castle – Hugh’s scouts coming in.
Seconds crept buy, echoing the beating of her heart. Come on.
Creatures streamed out of the woods, like an evil river, flowing in rivulets between the trunks to flood the grass.
Vampires. Hundreds and hundreds of vampires, smeared with sunblock in green, blue, and red.
The Iron Dogs unsheathed their weapons.
Yeah. Checking obsessively does pay off!!! Thank you!
Also, congrats on selling the house though sorry for the illness
Ditto to both comments!
Yahoooooo
Congratulations! On selling the house. It must be a big relief. I hope you feel better soon.
Whoa. Just. Whoa. (!!) Am so eagerly awaiting this book, Kate’s book, and, of course, more of the Hidden Legacy books. (I’m also with the people who desire Maud’s stories as a spin-off/add-on to Dina’s tales. 🙂
Congratulations on your house; commiserations on the crud in your household. Wishing you all speedy recoveries.
Hope the positives outweighed the negatives in your NYC trip, and that you and Gordon had a chance to enjoy the city itself.
What she said!!!
Also Ditto, except on Maud. Isn’t she getting her HEA in the series we’re reaing now?
Yeah! What she said.
+1
Yeay on the house!
Yeay on the snippet!
Yeay it is May!
Thank you!
What she said!
+1!!! May!!! Finally :D!
Yum, thank you for the snippet.
The sunblock always makes me giggle.
Lol! Same! They’re still terrifying tho ludicrously daubed!
+1+1
Congratulations on the sale of the house! Sympathies on getting the cud I hope it’s cured soon. Lastly thanks for the Hugh snippet.
Congratulation on selling your house. You have new beginnings this year, new contracts , new house, new stories, Hugh and Maud . And Kid 1 has a new job…
All the hard work and sacrifices have paid off, You deserve all good things.
Feel better and battle on to victory ??
Listen to some great battle music and wield your swords.
Thank you
Ditto to all Gail K said, but why “??” after “Feel better and battle on to victory”. Did you mean “! !” ?
I suppose if a blue smeared vampire were about to kill me I would feel more threatened. I have this image of a bunch of sonic hedgehogs/hyenas racing through a meadow! Congrats on the house and may your OTC drugs provide great visions for upcoming pages. Looking forward to Friday…
Bee, do you picture Braveheart when you reference blue smeared? Because i just did.. braveheart, only with shrivelled vampires
My daughter is sick right now! Sympathies! Thank you for snippet, wow, got the fight or flight response going… lol and now have to wait for book ?? congrats on house sale!!!
Sounds like a New Orleans themed parade of vampires – just need some purple sunblock as well.
Yaaaaaaay!!!!!!!!
Congratulations! I can imagine how wonderful it must be to not have the burden of that extra mortgage payment every month. Thank you for the snippet! I have been going through withdrawal. And wow! It was terrific.
Woohoo!! Congrats on selling the house.
I love all your books! Looking forward to Hugh’s story.
I just wanted to share that I had my first scary xp of administering cpr to my 8 mth old son recently. No clue how to go about it, but somehow managed to unblock his airways. He is ok now. Reading this snippet takes my mind off the nightmare.
Thank you for being awesome <3
How terrifying, but what a relief for the positive outcome! Something you and other family members may want to consider is to take a formal CPR class. Depending on where you live, the American Red Cross offers classes in adult as well as child/infant CPR (and other classes) for a fee (https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class); some communities also offer such courses by bringing in trained professionals (check the notice boards at, say, churches, grocery stores, clinics/hospitals, or any large gathering place).
The in-person classes (my recommendation) typically take 4 hours including hand-on practice, so that you know how to perform the techniques not only correctly but most effectively. There’s also an online course but you still have to take a hands-on test for certification. Once you are certified, you don’t have to take the training again for 2 years (optional).
Most health professionals will advise that anyone who has a child/teen 16 years or younger to take at least the child/infant CPR classes. It’s a skill you hope to never have to use but which you’ll be grateful for if ever needed, and many who take these courses say that it gives them a better confidence that they’ll know what to do if a related situation arises.
Cripes, just saw your moniker, so I assume you’re in the UK. Here’s a more relevant resource for you: https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/how-to-save-a-life/how-to-do-cpr. This Webpage tells you exactly how to perform CPR and has a video, but it also provides links to resources to take classes. Good luck.
Thank you so much for your warm support Liv. I’m in Singapore. UKMom (UK mom – UK, is my son’s nickname)
Yes, I attended the Infant and children first aid course just this morning. It was supposed to be a full day session (9.30am to 6.30pm). I could not complete the course…I keep flashing back to the xp and my son’s blue tinged face. So I left midway. Perhaps I will complete the course, some day when it’s not so fresh on my mind. For now, I’m keeping myself awake at night to keep a close eye on him. With a good book of course 😉
Hope things are good for you at home.
We are all wishing you the best of good luck for your son.
The flashbacks take a while. Be good to yourself in the meantime. So glad he’s OK!
I’m glad you wrre able to rescue your baby. Focusing on what happened After The Event Was Resolved (ie smiling/breathing baby) rather than the trauma has helped me push through some rough patches. God Bless!
Congrats on the sale of your house. That is one less worry for you. It seems to have sold rather quickly, considering the housing market. Sorry to hear that you are sick 🙁 I have been sick with flu type A since monday & I know how hard it is to concentrate. Not reading Hugh snippets, waiting for book. But am waiting with bright anticipation for Sweep of the Blade 😉
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
I cannot wait for this book. GL w the scene writing, best for getting healthier and much congrats on the sale of the house – huge relief. Oh and thank you!
What Nickole195 said – +1.
Battle! Looking forward to reading this in it’s entirety.
Yay! You lived in a house for years, and it makes sense that you should have paid something for it, but making money off of it, is even better!
Double yay! Snippet! They are coming! Come sooner!
Congratulations on selling the house! I know when we finally the condo my husband was so thrilled! We had rented it out for over 5 years, never making money….
Sorry for the crud being spread. Get better soon.
Thanks so much for Hugh snippet!!
Sold the condo….sorry….
We’ve had the head cold crud at our house, too. But yay on house selling and YAY! on Hugh snippet. I can’t wait – as always, I (and I’m sure the rest of the BDH) are ready to pre order when given marching orders.
This member of the BDH is ready.
Ready and waiting! ?
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! On everything!!! SO exciting (except the getting sick thing, so sorry). Hope Gordon is sufficiently remorseful ?.
Thank you for this 🙂 I like having a little idea of the flavor of the later part of the book 😀 It’s looking grimly promising in the face of overwhelming odds
Congrats on the house!
Thanks for the snippet – it was just what I needed for a mid day perk up.
Hope you’re feeling better soon and theat you all stay healthy.
+1
Woot! Get’em Dogs!
Holy crap. I felt such a thrill! Now I need more. I feel a bit like I’ve been drug-dealt…. first paragraph’s free… haha!
Glad for the house, but definately what she said! LOL!
Congratulations on selling the house. There is nothing like the feeling of being mortgage-free.
I could feel the coming battle. The tension and the excitement. Hughes book is going to be great.
Take care of yourself. Wow so good.
Glad the house sold.
Congrats on selling the house AND making some money. Y’all put a lot into it. We’ve never managed to break even on a property, I doubt we will on this one. LOL
Thanks for the snippet. I hope you feel better soon
Ooh, thank you.! Congratulations on selling the house and I hope you and Gordon get well soon!
Woohoo! How exciting?
Congratulations on selling the house!
Thanks for the snippet!
[Unsolicited anti crud advice: Echinacea, Vitamin C and Zinc at the first sign of crud. (Don’t take zinc on an empty stomach)]
And did I say Yea?
Congratulations on selling the house and clearing that deck! As for the snippet . . . WOW! I can see I will be staying up too late reading this when it comes out. LOL
Congrats on the house sale. It must be a great relief to have it over with. So looking forward to Hugh’s book, is it time for a cover reveal yet?
Congrats on selling the house – thank you very much for the exciting snippet! Very much looking forward to 26th June.
Congratulations on selling the house! About the CRUD – MucenixDM may be more effective if you’re dealing with a lot of drainage.
Not to wish away Spring, but holy crap this book can’t arrive fast enough! Thanks 🙂
Congrats. Get well soon.
I’m glad you’ve closed on your former home and have a little buffer in the bank to boot!
And, thank you for posting the news and a snippet while battling the crud. Get well soon!
Congrats on the sale of your house and boo to being sick. But what a great scene. Looking forward to this one. 🙂
Congrats on selling the house and making a profit 🙂 Plus not having the extra carrying costs must be a relief to the ol’ budget. My MIL passed away in January and there are carrying costs on her house until we get it sold (average sale in the 55+ community takes around 12 to 18 months).
Great snippet, as always the only complaint is that it is too short! Can’t wait until the book arrives.
Get better soon.
Ahhhhh that was perfect! I love how I’m able to read a snippet and get completely immersed in the story immediately.
Congrats on selling the house btw 🙂
Yay snippet! This book is going to be amazing….
Feel better!
Congrats on the house selling! That’s fantastic.
Sorry about the crud. May you kick it’s ass right and proper and quickly.
Thanks for the snippet! You’re the best.
Arg! *its (dang it)
Congratulations!! Thank you for the snippet too ☺️
Congrats on house sale, sorry that you have the crud, thanks for the snippet and OMG I think I just peed my pants after reading it (even sunscreen doesn’t make the vamps less scary).
I keep imagining skittles with teeth…. I can’t seem to help myself
Hehehehehehe….skittles….but the kind that eat you….Maybe if they glued sparkles on them they’d be less scary?
Ohhhhh yeah!
Cannot wait for this book!
Congrats on the sale of the House! ?
Exciting news all around! Feel better soon.
Congratulations for selling the house! That’s a huge load off…
Thank you very much for the snippet. ❤
Every time you specify that vampires have COLOURED sunscreen used on them I giggle.
I understand the logic – you also explained the logic – but it is such an incongruous image it never ceases to bring a smile 😀
They should all be wearing UV-protective sunglasses too, right? Otherwise the sun would fry their eyes.