Thanks for having me, Deadly Vixens! I'm sorry I missed my scheduled day during hurricane Ike. I was evacuated. (LOL, this reads executed when I reread it!) But Sarah was kind enough to invite me back. I've posted hurricane Ike pictures at my myspace www.myspace.com/skhyemoncrief. Check out what was ripped apart, sandblasted, and grounded...
I write insanely cross-genre romance. That really should be a genre so readers aren't stunned by the jolt they experience when embarking on a strange journey into my fantasy romance. ;) If you're interested in Druids, fairies, ghosts, the afterlife, soul mates, time travel, shape shifting, astral projection, numerology, Tarot, alchemy, and heroes in kilts with a theme that questions reality, my work should appeal to you. I'm formally educated in geology and anthropology of which both lead directly into worldbuilding. Hence, my Time Guardian series loaded with hunky kilted men and the women they are bound to for eternity, i.e. soul mates. I hate to say this, but you're probably one of these lucky ladies. You just don't know it yet! And who wouldn't want to learn this big guy with a sexy accent and enormous time-travel key, sword, is ready to whisk her off across time and space? Yep. Space. Because the past is born of the future. The future is born in the past. There are no coincidences. There is only purpose... And everything start on planet Scotia Major. Or so it would seem. Those blasted fairies just can't leave things well enough alone.
A few Time Guardian titles are available at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=232, and a few are coming soon. My novel HE OF THE FIERY SWORD where once upon a time King Arthur was a time-traveling shape-shifting dragon is available in print at www.amazon.com. I'm also excited about my Time Guardian Halloween tale releasing Oct. 1--NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE. Read into that title any way you like, you're probably dead on! *chuckle* Of course, it implies nothing of the psychic vampire...
NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE:
A demon stalks Druidess Aron MacKintosh, trying to use her to gain control of the timeline in present-day Scotland. Time plows toward Samhain when the doorways open between the Now and the Happy Otherworld. She finds herself in a strange alliance with an unusual time guardian, Cowboy. The duo struggles to defeat the demon. If Cowboy can't earn her trust, the integrity of the timeline could be endangered. Only Cowboy's charm and southern idea of chivalry has what it takes to leave an ancient evil bound NAKED ON THE STAIRCASE.
I invite the curious to read chapter 1. http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com/2008/04/09/naked-on-the-staircase.aspx
I'm also fortunate in being included in a group of talented authors with the Wild Rose Press paranormal anthology, SONG OF THE MUSES, that's been released throughout this past summer. I took up the torch and ran with it into the dark Greek underworld with the series' first novella, ANCIENT MUSINGS. Each of the Greek muses gets a romance! And the series will be released in print as three anthologies in October! Plans are in the works for a second anthology featuring all the Greek muses once again. ;)
ANCIENT MUSINGS:
(One's darkness proves the other's light.) When Calliope challenges Zeus to end her immortal existence, she faces the reality of death in Hades. Only Jake Genoese, an archaeologist's soul, can outwit Zeus's Harpies and help her find new purpose. Far more is at stake when both realize they are no more than pawns for ANCIENT MUSINGS. ANCIENT MUSINGS was definitely a challenge to write because I knew very little about classical archaeology. In studying archaeology, my area of specialization was Mesoamerica a wee bit across the pond. Since I had always been interested in kilts and bagpipes, the Celtic mythology came easily throughout life. But Greek was literally Greek to me. ;) I found that the deeper I investigated the more fascinating Greek ideology became. So, I'm anxious to write another novella for the series.
On an instant-gratification note for those readers who love "free", my free read is available. VOW OF SUPERSTITION: DRAGON'S BLOOD is totally unrelated to my Time Guardians or the Greek series. If you like dragons, ritual, and poisonous blood, you can snatch up a copy at: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=232
As for what I do when I'm not writing, I'm usually hosting contests on my blog at http://blog.skhyemoncrief.com/ where I blog about reference books--everything from Scottish clans to life during different periods among different cultures, New Age interests, the paranormal, books on writing, and archaeology. That's not to say I don't post recipes, links to cool science articles (okay, maybe I'm the only person who finds them cool!), or blather about kids because I am a stay-at-home mom wrangling a three-year old 24/7. Everyone's invited to check out and enter my current contests. This week I'm giving away a photo mousepad and 5 romantic and inspiring gifts. So, stop by and enter!
As for the time you've spent reading this blog entry, I'm going to give away a pdf from the list of my available titles http://www.thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=232 to someone who'd like to share a psychic experience they've had with me by midnight CST tonight. I recently participated on a blog event hosted by a psychic author who informed me that I was a strong medium or clairvoyant based on things I saw and heard as a child. I've done nothing to check into this other than feel chilling gooseflesh and think maybe I don't want to see dead people. So, what about you? Have you had any strange experiences that made you wonder or investigate?
Thanks for having me, Deadly Vixens. I'm going to leave everyone with my favorite quote. "Be the change you want to see in the world." ~Ghandi
~Skhye
http://www.timeguardians.com/
http://www.skhyemoncrief.com/
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Please welcome author Skhye Moncrief!
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27 deadly screams:
Greetings sister muse
So glad you overcame Ike and survived to tell many more tales. It must have been an horrific experience though.
I am a great fan of HOTFS and can't wait to read more Time Guardian stories.
As for 'psychic' experiences - there's only one that really sticks in my mind and I still have the photograph to prove it. I was at a large country house in Wales attending a writing weekend (For those who don't know, I am Welsh although I live in England now.) The house was supposed to be haunted by a gentle lady who had lost her home and whose spirit couldn't bear to leave it. I took a photograph of a friend near a rahter strange statue of a large hand. When it was printed out the picture was misty, although it had been a bright sunny day, and there was a shadowy figure of a woman in old fashioned clothing in the bushes. Several friends of mine could see it, but not everyone could. That was several years ago and over time the 'lady' has faded so that even I have difficulty in finding her now. If I imagined seeing her, then I have a couple of friends who shared the same illusion - and that doesn't explain the mist.
Very cool, Lyn! My sister has pictures of orbs in a cathedral from her trip to Ireland and Scotland a few years back. Those buildings are loaded with spirits. Thanks for stopping by. Skhye
Great blog, Skhye! I see things all the time and just know when something is going to happen. Also I have visions. I don't try to make it grow, deep down I guess if scares me. Like if I don't push it then I won't feel the pain or the fear.
Years ago, I used to watch the T.V. show, Alias Smith and Jones. It was in the late 70's. One of the main characters was Pete Duel. I had a vision of him and his sidekick pinned down in a canyon. One of the posse's shoots him in the head, in the temple area.
The next day on the way to school, the news came on the radio and the announcer said that Pete Duel committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, same area I'd seen.
Strange but very true.
Wishing you the very best of luck with your works!
I have two personal experiences that stick in my mind. When I was in third grade, I had a dream that my cousin, who was in the marines would pick me up from school. As it so happened, the very next day, I was waiting to be picked up and my cousin showed up at the door. The teacher was very wary and she kept asking me if I knew the man and was I sure it would be okay for me to go with him. I acknowledged that I knew him and who he was but had it not been for my dream, I might not have recognized him as he was much leaner than the last time I had seen him and of course his head was shaved. When we got out to the car, my mom and aunt were waiting for us and they wondered why I wasn't more surprised until I told them about my dream.
Another time that I remember well was when my sister-in-law was pregnant with her first child. I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she would have a girl and that she would be born on my mother-in law's birthday. I was correct on both.
I wish those kinds of things would happen more often. It's pretty cool when it does.
Deidre
deidre_durance@hotmail.com
My psychic experience is more of a literary-ghost-semi-sighting experience. My grandmother developed Alzheimer's disease and eventually had to be moved into a nursing home where she could receive professional care 24/7. She really enjoyed reading Jan Karon's novels, the few years of lucidity before her mind was completely gone and reading was no longer a possible activity for her. After she died (which was several years ago), I was sad that she didn't get to enjoy the last couple of novels in the series, since she loved them so much. Last winter or spring, Victoria Magazine ran an article about Jan Karon. On a whim I spoke to my grandmother's photograph one night before I went to bed. I held up the magazine to her photo and said I'll just leave this magazine open on this page, so if you're there, Granny, you can read it if you like. Then I went to bed. The next morning when I got up, I went into the kitchen to brew my coffee. My kitchen is unfortunately wall to wall carpen (the insane former owner put it in, not me!), so I keep a washable mat on the floor in front of the areas where I do most of my cooking and meal preparation. That morning, there was some kind of sticky substance I thought looked a lot like what I imagined ectoplasm would look like. There was no food or anything on the kitchen counters that my cat could have knocked down to make that kind of mess. I thought, it must be Granny's way of letting me know she appreciated my showing her the magazine article. She very considerately confined the 'mess; to the mat so all I had to do was throw it in the washer to clean it. I don't have ghost sightings really, and I never feel I'm being watched, but I do get a sense after that incident that my grandparents do drop by to check on me from time to time, and that makes me feel good! I would love to win a pdf of one of your ebooks. I especially love Scottish-themed fiction -- My grandmother, by the way, was a direct descendant of the 18th Laird of Drum, Alexander of Crimond, through a romantically reckless heir who got himself disinherited (but that's a story for another time, and isn't a psychic one...).
Whoa, Judith, that had to be frightening seeing that actor die. I watched that show too! Am I dating myself? LOL But knowing the sex and date of birth of a child is kind of cool! Thanks. ~Skhye
I remember once when I was a child (perhaps 14 years old), I had a terrible feeling that if my parents were to go out that evening, they would suffer a horrendous car crash. I told my mother about my fears. Fortunately, they decided to stay home. Whether they believed me or not, they must have felt it would put me at ease if they didn't go.
I have many, one really sticks out in my mind...
I was visiting my Aunt in Kirkland WA. and I had a "bad" dream, I drempt that someone I was very close to was in the hospital seriously ill. I could not see who it was. My dad then called the next day and told me that he was in the hospital and had been really sick.
A few days later I had another dream again about an unknown family member I saw in my dream a serious car wreck. the next afternoon my dad called me again and told me that he had been in a car wreck. In every dream that is prophetic it is always obscured by a fog like substance.
Oops. Sorry, that was cool on Deidre knowing the sex/birth date of the child. My child is begging for doughnuts and nagging me. LOL
Deidre, even cooler on seeing your cousin in the dream. I've never been that fortunate to see the future. The scientist/environmentalist in me would love to know what the world will be like in 50 years. Thanks for stopping by. ~Skhye
Thanks, Toyhabilitation. Love that story! I bet you're right about the goo on the mat. Verra nice on your ancestry. Me, I'm a mutt. But we do have some Scottish ancestry. I'll spare everyone from a long list here. ;) Thanks for that tale! ~Skhye
I'm glad they listened, Luann. Thanks for sharing your story. ~Skhye
I'm glad you're able to know, Mercedes. But it's awful that these premonitions have to be about close relatives. That's got to keep you on edge when you see the fog. Thanks for sharing. ~Skhye
Skye,
Your books sound interesting. I haven't read one yet, but you have got my interest up and so now I am adding you to my TBR.
As for psychic experiences...hum, well, when I was around 10 or so, we lived in a very haunted house. There were so many experiences there that I can not even count.
I don't know if I am psychic, but I just know some things. Like, if someone is lying, I know it and can usually guess the truth. I have feelings all the time about how things are going to happen and am usually right about that, too. I also have this feeling that I am missing something or that I was put here for a very specific reason that I am not quite getting just yet.
Melissa
Glad you made it safely through Ike!
Thanks for the fascinating blog topic!
I have an ability that I call my Morbid ESP. I can sometimes tell when people I know are going to die. It's unpredictable though. It hasn't worked for the death of every person I know who has passed on.
The first time it happened I was 11 years old. I was very ill and in the hospital. My room was on the third floor, above the ER. I could look out the window and see the ambulances come in. My mom had given me a little travel clock to keep on the table while I was in there. I heard an ambulance come in one night and I looked down out of curiosity. I could see it was the ambulance from the town where I lived (about 20-25 miles from the city with the hosp. Very rural area) but I could not tell who they were bringing in. I watched and I got a dark, sinking feeling. I can't really describe it. I knew that the person had just died. I just knew it. I looked at the clock and the time was 11:34pm.
The next day Mom came up during visiting hours and told me our next-door neighbor Bob had died the night before. I told her "I know, at 11:34." She said the ambulance had picked him up a little after 11 and given the drive time to the hospital, yeah that would put it at about the right time. She said he'd died when they got him to the hospital. I told her "I know, I saw him die."
Second time it happened was in 1995. My grandmother was very ill. She'd had five strokes and we knew she was not going to make it much longer. I was at my boyfriend Jake's apartment when I got that feeling again. I don't know where my voice came from but I blurted out "Jake, I'm losing her!" I got up and bolted out of his apartment without an explanation. I honestly do not remember the drive home. I have no recollection of the time from when I left his apartment to when I walked in the door at home. I was still living with my parents then. I walked in the door and looked at the clock on the microwave. It was 1:41 am. At 1:43 the phone rang. It was the nursing home calling to say that she had passed away at 1:35.
There's more to this story. I woke my parents up. Mom talked to the nurse and made the arrangements. We had already had a funeral home selected so Mom told them to release Grandma to the funeral home and we'd come up the next day or so to collect her belongings. Then Mom called her brothers to tell them that their mother was gone. One of her brothers said that he'd go out and tell their sister in person because my Aunt Gail couldn't handle news like that on the phone. Once the obligatory phone calls to immediate family were made, we all went back to bed.
I was bawling of course. Then all of a sudden, I felt a wave of peace wash over me. I knew she was happy and out of pain and it was physically impossible for me to cry anymore. The tears stopped, just like turning off a spigot. I looked at my clock and the time was 2:56 am.
The next day Mom told me something that happened to her the night before. She was sitting up in bed, crying. Then she saw the mirror atop her dresser go black. In the mirror she saw Grandma ascending a staircase. She was skipping up the stairs! Skipping! Grandma hadn't even walked in years due to the strokes. At the top of the staircase was a door. Two figures stepped out of the doorway and stood on either side of Grandma. Grandma looked back at Mom, smiled and waved then walked through the door. After the door shut, the mirror returned to normal and Mom could see her reflection again. I said to her "That was at 2:56 am wasn't it?" Yes, it was.
There's even more to this story. My mom's brother Ed lives in Reno, NV. After the funeral, his wife (at the time) Kim told me something. She said normally Uncle Ed is a very sound sleeper. Light a firecracker under his bed and he'll sleep through it-type. On the night Grandma passed, he woke up and sat bolt upright in bed at 1:35 am. He knew something was wrong. When Mom called him about 15 minutes later to tell him that their mother was gone, he was already awake. It confirmed what he already knew.
I found a tarot deck in Grandma's belongings. I claimed that. *LOL* I still have it. I never knew before then that she was interested in the tarot. I knew she liked astrology a lot though. She was also always reading horoscopes. Last month, just before I moved away from Florida, I went to visit my Great-Aunt-Ida, my grandmother's last remaining sibling. She told me that when Grandma was younger, she used to give tea leaf readings. I never knew that about Grandma either! I wish I had known all that while she was still alive! Grandma was more in tuned with paranormal etc when she was still alive than I ever realized.
The third time my morbid ESP kicked in was when my other grandmother passed away. It manifested differently that time. For some reason, I could not get Grandma out of my mind all day. My thoughts constantly went to her. I was working night shift then and sleeping through the day. When I woke up the next afternoon, my boyfriend told me that Mom had called earlier to say Grandma had passed away during the night. I was pissed at myself for not recognizing the signs. They had been there the whole damn previous day. The feeling was different this time, but I still feel that I should have known.
The fourth time was on January 17, two years ago. My (now-ex) husband Ista and I were at an Aerosmith concert and I had that sinking, dark feeling again. I knew something was wrong. I was trying to enjoy the show but I was in a really foul mood. Ista was pissed at me because I was being so bitchy and argumentative. When we got out of the concert, I saw a missed call from my mom on my cell phone. I called her back and she told me that my cousin Billy had passed away. I knew something was wrong.
Normally the ability doesn't narrow down to who the person is that is dying. Only with my Grandma Estie did it do that and I didn't recognize the sign. That's also the same Grandma whose passing sent the chill up my dad's spine.
My mom has the ability too but hers manifests itself oddly. Her bed shakes. She says people don't believe her (I do) but she'll be lying in bed and it'll shake violently, like an earthquake. Dad wouldn't feel it and he'd be lying beside her. Sure enough, within a few days, we'd get word of some family member or a friend who passed. Hers has never been wrong.
I'm also clairvoyant and clairaudient but I don't have control over those gifts. They come and go. I see and hear some really weird stuff sometimes. *LOL* It makes great book fodder. *grin*
Carpe Noctem,
Des
Desirée Lee
Putting the Romance Back in Necromancy
http://www.desireelee.com
des@desireelee.com
Oops I realized my brain worked faster than my fingers. The other time it happened was when my dad's mom, my Grandma Estie died.
My dad - the world's biggest skeptic - felt a cold chill run up his spine, like an icy breeze. A few minutes later, he got a call from his brother saying that their mother was gone.
The way my Morbid ESP manifested that day was different. I could not get her out of my mind. I thought about her constantly for almost a full day before she passed.
I was asleep when she passed. When I woke up, my boyfriend at the time, Jake, told me that my Mom called and broke the news to me.
I realized that I knew what was happening, but didn't recognize the signs. It was a different feeling that time, though the same result.
Carpe Noctem,
Des
Desirée Lee
Putting the Romance Back in Necromancy
http://www.desireelee.com
des@desireelee.com
Thanks, Des. My friend has your ability. To be honest, I wouldn't want my bed shaking to enlighten me either. LOL. Based on your brand line, I'd say you've chosen your sub-genre well. ;) ~Skhye
Melissa, my friend just knows when someone is lying. She says she feels it. Thanks for taking the time to post. Skhye
Yes I have had a psychic experience. I have had feelings about people that haven't been good. I just didn't trust them, didn't like them, I couldn't quite give a definate reason for it but it was there. The people I have had those feelings about have always turned out bad. They have done something, usually to my friends that was really messed up. They will do something in front of you and then turn around when your not there and act different and say things about you, your friends, your family and then deny it later. I always trust these feelings. I haven't been wrong yet.
I don't blame you, Tigger9. Thanks for sharing your experiences. ~Skhye
Thank you so much for blogging with The Deadly Vixens today. You did a great blog.
I have had several moments when my mother and I think of the same thing at the same time, but I don't think that would be psychic. =)
Hi Skhye,
I don't have a specific event, but I know that things happen. There is a very special someone who was very close to me and I know that she is there is different ways. I noticed things or sense things and know she's around.
YOu never know, Sarah. ;) Skhye
Dina, my cat always knows what I'm doing. I think there's definitely something we tend to block in all we sense... something like what my cat's doing. Hmmm, I'll have to check into that. Thanks. ~Skhye
Hi Skhye! Great excerpts and very interesting discussion on psychic's.
I don't know if this pertains to the psychic catagory or not, but my kids and I like to believe it does.
My parents owned a cottage on lake Erie in Canada for all my children's lives.(they're 18 & 14 now, and it was passed to us) My mother LOVED it over there, my father hated it and tried to get her to sell it. So because he hated it, she, my kids and I spent A LOT of time over there at the beach and just sharing quality time. When it was time to pack up and come home no matter if it was just a quick weekend or a week's vacation, she would say "I don't want to leave. You call your father and I'll call Jim(my hubby) and we'll tell them the car broke down and we have to stay!" The kids would beg and plead to do as Grandma said, then we'd all laugh and say next time!! It became a thing for us all to look forward to, instead of being unhappy about leaving "all the fun". Well, ten years ago February my Mom passed away. She never wanted a big deal made after she was gone, just always said sprinkle her ashes around. Only once did one of us(five kids and DH) get her to give us an idea where. To me she said, "At the cottage." On Mother's Day the year she died, we all went to the cottage, which was closed down still for the winter, to sprinkle her ashes. It was a beautiful summer like day, not normal for early May here in Michigan. We said our goodbyes, the grandkids sprinkled her ashes where they thought Grandma liked it best there; the cottage, the beach, the neighbor friends, and then we all loaded into the cars and started on the road. Well...we didn't get very far when our car died!!! My 8 year old daughter said "It's Grandma, she doesn't want us to leave. Just like we always say Mom. Grandma has stopped the car, I want to stay with Grandma." Needless to say, I was in tears, my big tough hubby had tears in his eyes and my 5 year old son was saying "Me too! Me too!"
We had to leave the car and ride home with the rest of the family. They spent a week checking it out. Never found a thing wrong with it.
We choose to believe it was my Mom. Saying we did right with her ashes and she was where she wanted to be.
TheWildTwo, you've got to be right! That's another outta-the-mouth-o'-babes gem, eh? Thanks for stopping by with your tale. ~Skhye
Thank you, everyone, for entertaining me with fabulous psychic experiences. I handed a list of your names to my husband who chose Toyhabilitation as the winner. So, Toyhabilitation, you win a pdf of one of my available stories. Have a wonderful week, everyone! ~Skhye
Geesh, I forgot to post: Toyhabilitation, please contact me at skhye@skhyemoncrief.com and tell me which story you'd like to have! Now, I'm off to feed the snarling child who just crawled out of bed. She's grouchy!
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