Tag Archives: ebook

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Excerpt from “Body or Soul”

“Body or Soul” is a direct sequel to “Inside Monastic Walls”
by Chanté McCoy featured in The Crimson Pact, Vol. 1

Featuring "Body or Soul," by Chanté McCoy ***** "On the verge of birthing, Phideas continues to search for Darrius Papadas. Instead of finding a priest, he finds a blasphemous goat herder who says that Phideas carries a demon, not a miracle. Will an exorcism save Phideas, or will it be the death of him?"

Featuring “Body or Soul,” by Chanté McCoy

Body or Soul

by Chanté McCoy

An earthquake rips through my body. I gasp, my breath taken away. Never before have I felt such pain. I’m afraid it will rip me apart. Is the time already so near? Will I find Darrius Papadas before the blessed event?

The pain recedes. Slowly, my lungs work again, and I push off from the wall of the tall rocky tower to continue down the etched steps, each footfall hesitant until I feel the stone beneath me. The stairs are too steep for my short legs. They shake. And my mind still spins from being sent from my home atop the mountain and the vision of Deacon Stefanou lying bloody at the feet of the Reverend Abbot. How quickly the world changed after years of sameness.

The village, my destination, sprawls in the shadowed triangular plain below. From above, with their white walls and red clay-tiled roofs, the houses look like a cluster of square-cut revani almond cake. My empty stomach gurgles at the thought. I’m thirsty too from the climb down. I suck the insides of my cheeks.

It feels like I’ll never reach the bottom, though I near the canopy of sycamores and laurels reaching toward the sky. On the narrow stairway with its long drop, I feel suspended between the ground and the open blue above, an odd purgatory bridging heaven and earth. The winter wind sliding around the mountain side threatens to push me earthward. At its calmest, the wind chills me, billowing my loose tunic cinched at the waist. My thin leggings do little against the cold. I wish I’d had time to grab my heavy cloak.

Another tremor ripples through me. Not as bad as before. I stay upright, although it is harder with the growing child inside. No longer a quickening, it pushes out my sides and kicks and shoves within. When it stretches, my skin grows taut, and bumps rise and fall along my left side. I walk lopsided, increasingly hunched from the sharing of my body with another.

I should have told the Abbot about the baby. I know that. But, when I first realized it, I was scared. What could I say? Was it blasphemy or a blessing? I couldn’t decide. I can read the Holy Book, taught by the monks. I studied it at night, after my chores, hoping to find a clue as to what was happening. The scriptures that rang true, speaking to what can only be a miracle, were the stories of Mary and the miraculous conception of Christ. Perhaps the Holy Spirit had also visited me.

I approached the Abbot to tell him all, time ran out. He sent me fleeing from the monastery. Now I wonder whether I will ever see home again.

 ******

 Alliteration Ink released The Crimson Pact, Vol. 2 this month. You can get a copy and read the rest at the Alliteration Ink website  or on Amazon.com.

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The Crimson Pact

Featuring "Inside Monastic Walls," by Chanté McCoy***** "After years of tranquility, Phideas’ life is disrupted when an odd-acting monk visits the monastery. Soon, others are acting strangely, including the donkey which tries to strangle the young servant. But a miracle has also occurred…or has it?"

Featuring “Inside Monastic Walls,” by Chanté McCoy
*****
“After years of tranquility, Phideas’ life is disrupted when an odd-acting monk visits the monastery. Soon, others are acting strangely, including the donkey which tries to strangle the young servant. But a miracle has also occurred…or has it?”

The Crimson Pact is released. Charge your Kindle and Nook!

The Crimson Pact is an anthology of interesting, well-told stories, ultimately united by the concept presented in the lead-in story, “The Failed Crusade,” where demons have been unleashed upon the universe. The other stories broadly interpret the possibilities. The results: the bigger unifying theme of good fighting evil, even if demons are not the obvious culprits.

The fifteen short stories and eleven flash fiction pieces will entertain for hours. There’s horror with some steampunk, romance, and a touch of light fantasy in the mix, spanning time and space.

I assisted with a proofread and had a sneak peek a couple weeks ago. My personal favorites are “Solitary Life” by Donald J. Bingle, “Stained with Nightmare Juice” by Isaac Bell, “The Things that Crawl” by Richard Lee Byers, “Sins of the Father” by Kathy Watness, and “Of the Breaking of Stars” by Chris Pierson. Superstar Larry Correia, a New York Times bestselling author, also has a short story in the collection. Those alone would make The Crimson Pact a fun find. Plus, don’t forget my flash: “Inside Monastic Walls.”

Anthologies are a great way to discover new writers. They also provide for a variety of stories when exploring a genre.

Another volume is planned, so, if you like this, there is more to come. The fun has just begun.

You can find the anthology at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other ebook retailers.

Update: The Crimson Pact series (vols. 1-5) are also available in paper back.
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Spring, Horror, and Puppy Dog Tales

Goslings

Spring is on my mind. Yesterday, while cycling, I heard frog song and saw newborn long-lashed calves and a waddling squadron of goslings. A Facebook friend reported sightings of tulips pushing up through the ground. Today, the clocks sprung forward, although early morning light already brightens the bedroom, luring me from my comfy cocoon.

So inspired, I recently wrote a short story about spring. A pond frog goes ashore to experience spring on land. “Pond Frog & Robin,” a picture book story (ages 4-8), is written in the vein of “Blue Bear & Snow Toad” but without the rhyme.

I have notes for summer and autumn versions too. But, now, with frog song in my head, a celebration of spring is due.

Here’s an excerpt:

The pond ice melted, and the sun warmed the water again. Soon, fish ripples circled across the top.

In the reeds, from little jelly eggs, fat black tadpoles emerged. They grew and grew, and their tails shrunk. Four legs appeared. Then their skin turned a shade of green, and bulbous eyes popped out on their heads.

*****

While I’d love to present myself as a children’s writer, I dabble in other genres too.

Would you believe horror? Oddly, I don’t like being scared. “Jaws” disturbed me for years, and I freaked watching “The Village, ” throwing the bucket of popcorn into the air. But, that’s the movies.

I find the literary genre compelling for exploring the abstracts of good and evil and the many grays in between. Supernatural characters just take it to another level, but beware: monsters can also be humane and, inversely, humans can be monstrous.

(And you thought I just liked froggies and daffodils.)

Anyhow, in this genre, I have a flash fiction piece coming out next week (March 20) in The Crimson Pact. This anthology features 26 stories, including one from fantasy superstar, Larry Correia, a NY Times bestselling author. A wonderful selection of interesting, well-told stories, ultimately united by the over-arching idea that demons have been unleashed upon the universe.

My flash, “Inside Monastic Walls,” is set in Greece at one of the monasteries atop the otherworldly Meteora.  It’s a showdown when a demon arrives on the scene. I won’t tell you who wins.

*****

Just to mix it up, I have a couple more recent pieces intended for a general audience. The June 2011 issue of “Dog Fancy” will feature a narrative about hiking with my dogs, complete with one of my photos. A follow-up article on dog hiking supplies has an ETA of sometime this fall.

*****

I’d love to tell you about the novel and hiking guide in progress, but spring is calling me. Clear, blue skies. Budding aspens. Cabin-feverish dogs.  A lonely bike hanging from a rafter.

I’m getting my butt out of this chair.