Welcome, Carol Shenold...being thankful

                Hi Ginger and thanks for having me visit your wonderful blog.  For those who don’t know me, I’m Carol Shenold and I write urban fantasy, paranormal mystery and now, medical romance. I’ve been a nurse for over forty years and a writer for over twenty.

                This time of year we give thanks for everything. We pay attention to nature, family, food, everything in our lives. And I’m thankful. I have a warm house, good food, family to rely on—even if they feud with each other, fight their own demons, and are just as overwhelmed with life as everyone else.

                But I have to admit, I am overwhelmingly grateful for words, the words that allow me to make them my profession. Reading has been my pleasure all my life, from the times I got into trouble in grade school for reading during class, to nursing school when the nuns were shocked that I carried fiction with me to now, when my Kindle goes everywhere with me.

                Writing for publication has been going on for the last twenty years, success with fiction, much shorter number of years. Success is relative of course. I am now published in fiction, both e-pubbed and print and  I’d love to make money with fiction, not just nonfiction. What can I say, I’m greedy. But again, on the thankful side, I’m so thankful that Harlequin is interested in my Medical Romance. Plus, that could lead to money, my first advance.

                Okay, I’ll stop counting chickens. In the mean time, how about an excerpt from Fairy Dust, just for fun? This book is all about fairies, elves and a were-wolf confronting an evil wizard.

Fairy Dust

By Carol Shenold

I hovered three feet from the ceiling in the Herb and Fairy Gardens Shop, praying no customers came in while I calmed down my fairy dust emissions and my temper.

“Bouddicca Andraste Ryan, get your fairy ass off the ceiling and come help me. I’m dying here.”

Seirye, a six-foot elf with white hair, and half owner of the shop, yelled at me. I went up higher. She had no patience with my iffy hold on my magic, especially since we had an order from a coven for 16 flower wreaths, probably for a moon dance. They were due to pick up the wreaths by four and it was already after two. It’s not my fault that I’m only half Fae and not in total control of my magic.

I was named for a great warrior queen and a godess. I felt like neither as I grabbed for my flying waist length hair with both hands, avoiding the ceiling fan.

“You hold your skinny little horses there. I’m doing the best I can. What did you expect? Tell me a team of Darklings (Turned Fairies) from the Under is on it’s way to snatch the Titania Amulet from me and expect me to hold my temper?  Not going to happen.  It's the only thing my father left me, my only tie to the Fae World.  And it's the focus that lets me use earth magic so well." Titania Amulet from me and expect me to hold my temper? Not going to happen. It’s the only thing my father left me, my only tie to the Fae World. And it’s the focus that lets me use earth magic so well.”

Seirye’s laugh, a short bark, held no humor. “He didn’t leave it to you, he just left it because he was in a hurry to avoid responsibility.”

I plummeted to the ground. “Ow. You don’t have to get nasty about it or diss my father.”

She turned on her heel, talking over her shoulder. “It was the only way I knew to get you down before you were caught and we have work to do.”

Elves can be so pissy. I stomped after her, making certain the front door wards were in place as I passed by. They would let people in but any magical creatures would have to leave their powers behind.

Rampaging Darklings were the last thing I needed. I had an assignment this afternoon with the Paranormal Investigative Unit (PIU), to pick up an errant witch and a date that night, my first in forever.

You can follow Carol on her website.