Pennsylvania Patches And Sherlock Hound. "The Case Of Lucifer's Lair."

The following story is a continuation from this link, Write With Fey : Character Interview / Memories of Murder by Yolanda Renee.

The Case of Lucifer's Lair

Hi there, yes it's me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar.  As a Halloween treat, I'll share with you my most recent and spookiest of cases.  A case that took me half way across the world and to the lair of the Beast. Yes, amongst my many talents, I'm also a magical detective that goes under the alias of, "Sherlock Hound."

It all started when my friend Patches, the Boston terrier and best friend of Yolanda Renee, the author of the romantic mystery / thriller novels Murder, Madness & Love and Memories of Murder, sent me an urgent email. Apparently, her Mistress was headed out for a scheduled interview with the diabolical villain of her recent release, Memories of Murder. Patches, concerned for her safety, asked me to fly to Pennsylvania to accompany her Mistress.  Some urgent matters here at home in England had made that trip impossible. Then things escalated as Renée didn't come home as scheduled.  I flew out immediately on the blogger's favourite airline, "Blog Air", to resolve what looked like a possible disappearance. This is what transpired.

It was 11:00 AM on October 30th when I arrived at Patches' lovely home in Pennsylvania. Patches was trembling with the worry of the situation. I noted that she was the worse for wear. Poor doggy friend hadn't been taking care of herself. I encouraged her to eat, drink and tell me as calmly as she could, what had ensued since our first communication.

Patches: My Mistress flew to California for her scheduled interview with Chrys Fey and that Beast. I expected her home on Monday and now, it's Wednesday!  Something terrible's happened!  I just know it!

Penny

Patches

Penny: Now calm down Patches. Who is this beast?

Patches: Luke Williams, the villain from her novel, Memories of Murder . He's a very dangerous, very evil character.                                                                                    

Penny: Why do you call him the Beast?
Patches: Because he believes he's the devil incarnate. He's one sandwich short of a picnic.
Penny: Then why would your Mistress go there?
Patches: I told you it was an interview for a blogger friend. Mistress will do almost anything for her blogger friends.
Penny: Yes, I know what you mean. My human, Gary, the human I so kindly allow to live with me, is the same way. He's caught up in some crazy blogfest right now. Something titled the The Grisly Grizzly & How to Defeat the Misspelling Monster, or some such nonsense. Such silliness, but it makes him happy. Now tell me where does this Beast fellow reside?
Patches: Death Valley, California.
Penny: Then come, my plane is ready. I'm a "pawlet" on Blog Air. We'll be in Death Valley in a few hours.

By 8:00 PM that same evening, we were standing at the entrance to Lucifer's cave. Death Valley is a dry, desolate place that is, putting it mildly, hotter than hell! We stand at the entrance to his cave and are overwhelmed by the smell of sulphur and death. Cautiously, we make our way down the long tunnel. A short distance in we hear voices, and Patches recognizes his Mistress. She takes off running. I follow.

We arrive at a massive cavern to find her Mistress sitting on comfortable cushions.  Her laptop's open as she types frantically. Lucifer, the Beast is pacing around the massive fire in the centre of the room and dictating. They look up as we enter and Patches makes a beeline for her mistress.  I stand back observing. Lucifer. We make eye contact, he grins and I growl. His smile soon fades and he steps back.

Renée: Patchy, oh Patchy I knew you'd find me. What took you so long?

Renée looks at me, and smiles.

Renée: Thank you Penny, I knew if I were ever in trouble, you'd be the one to call. And Patchy, dear Patchy, you always know what to do!
Penny: I don't understand, Mistress.  Why are you still here? Where is Chrys, your blogger friend?
Renée: She's home safe and sound. I would've been too, but Lucifer had other ideas. He's been needling me for a while now to tell his story. After I brought Chrys here, Lucifer became overblown with ego and demanded I get started, immediately!

She hugged Patches close, as Patches licked her face like a lollipop made of bacon. My heart swelled at such an expression of love.

Renée: I'm sorry, Patches, you know how I'm sometimes so wrapped up in my writing I forget the rest of the world exists. I'm so proud of you for calling Penny, but I'm ready to go home. I have the draft; I can finish the rest of the story at home.

She glared at Lucifer.

Renée: We're done! Come ladies, let's go home!
Lucifer: Oh no you don't. I'm in command here!

He takes a threatening stance. I eye the beast; I'm between him and my friends when I make my stand.

Penny: I don't think so – Beast!

Lucifer: So you're the famous Penny, the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar?
Penny:  Among my many talents, yes.
Lucifer: Your reputation precedes you. What makes you think you can walk into my home, and interrupt my life's work?
Penny: I'm here to take the Mistress home.
Lucifer: And what if I won't allow it?

He steps closer, throws his cape back from his shoulders in a display of power. I look to the Mistress. Renée nods, finishes gathering her belongings and gives me a smile.

Penny: Because I can do this.

I smack my paws and like that, the fire in the centre of the room becomes a fountain of frozen water. The temperature changes dramatically as cool almost frigid air fills the cavern. Lucifer's throne crumbles to dust, and ice cycles begin to form on the cavern walls. The smell of sulphur and death disappears, replaced by a cool mint. I look at Mistress Renée and wink.

Lucifer pulls his cape close about his naked body and gets down on his knees.

Lucifer: You've won. I understand. Please Mistress, I'll cooperate. Just give back my sanctuary.

We prepare to walk out, and mistress Renée turns back to look at the cowering Lucifer still on his knees.

Renée: You forget I created you. Your punishment for trying to control my writing timeline and me, is the cold. Contemplate that, and be thankful I don't end you completely for your insolence.

So there you have it, my friend.   A Halloween story of adventure. Concluding with the triumphant rescue of a writer from her own dark character and his quest for glory in the world of fiction.

Thus, I would soon return to England, Sherlock Hound, my magical powers, a force for good.  My dear Patches, until next time, I must now depart your shores.

                 Yolanda Renee                                                   Memories of Murder 

Before I fly back to England on Blog Air, I want you to know that parts of the above story were collaborated by my human friend, Yolanda and my human, Gary, yes that Gary, the human I so kindly allow to live with me.

Pawsitive wishes, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar aka Penny the pawlet aka Sherlock Hound.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN, or as Patches and I call it, "HAPPY HOWLOWEEN!"

Due To Pupular Demand.

Due to "pupular" demand and the "pawsuasion" of Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar, I'm putting back up this article.  I believe her writing, "pawspective", as she refers to it, can be of inspirational value to a writer, whether aspiring or "pawblished", um , published.  

She also noted to me that when she does a blog and I try to do the same thing, is to never write to an audience. Penny and I both visualise, when we're writing, that we're writing to that one person, or animal on the other side of our computer screen.  Below is the posting.  At the time, Penny was a modest internet star.  Her status was upgraded to superstar status after she did a guest posting on the site of Alex J. Cavanaugh

Interview With The Star Of This Site.

I've noticed that on a number of blog sites that writers have been interviewed.  So I thought it would be interesting if Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star, would possibly share her thoughts about writing.  You may be aware that Penny does the occasional guest posting on this site.  To my delight, Penny agreed to let me interview her and get an insight into her fascinating writing ideas.

Thank you Penny for allowing me to interview you.

Question 1 :  Before you settle down in front of the keyboard, do you have any rituals you like to follow?

Answer :  "Before I get settled down in front of the keyboard I go out to the garden and have a ceremonial crap. Then I come back inside, roll around on the carpet, wag my tail, go to the kitchen, check out the food before finally heading to the keyboard to paw out my must read articles."

Question 2 :  Why do you write?

  

Answer :  "Ah Gary, the reasons I write are numerous.  I write because I wanted to help you with your writing skills.  I write because I consider it most therapeutic.  Indeed, my human, I write to teach humans that we animals are an example of unconditional, non-judgemental love."  

Question 3 :  What inspires your writing?

Answer :  "When I take Tristan or you for walks, I observe, I listen, I sniff.  And with my senses full of the magic of the great outdoors, I find myself inspired to write about the simple goodness that's all around.  And I'm very sensitive to your son and yourself.  I write to try and bring you both comfort through these daunting times."

Question 4 : Do you have any writing suggestions for aspiring authors?

Answer :  "Write from the heart.  Make your writing intimate.  Write in such a way that your reader really feels like you're 'talking' directly to them.  Make your reader care about the story.  Most importantly, grab and hold onto the reader's attention from the very first sentence.  Never give up and pursue your dream.  Do your best to make your dream a reality."

Question 5 :  I can see you're getting tired, Penny.  Thus, just one more question.  You're known as Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet star.  Does this fame come at a price?

Answer :  "As you know and I will share this with the person or animal reading this, I'm forever being hounded by the pesky 'puparazzi'.  You might not see them, Gary, but they are always lurking in bushes, around corners and trying to get that exclusive photo of me.  Oh, before I go and piddle on your bed, Gary, I'm writing a book titled, "My Previous Bark", which recalls my days of when I was a puppy and the day I chose the humans I would live with.  I shall never forget the day when little Tristan and I first saw each other...."

Thank you very much, Penny.  "You're welcome and with that I shall now sneak off and piddle on your bed!"

Here's a photo of Penny in the garden getting some inspiration for a posting. 

Lexa's Cover Reveal Is A Challenge.

I had a hunch that to coordinate the following group venture that time zones would need to taken into account.  And oops, I have only just read the email reply to my query about when I should post up this posting.  So, whatever time zone you're in, here goes and have fun......

Lexa’s Cover Reveal Challenge 

Can you find the error on this cover? 

To win a prize, find the cover error in each of these 10 blogs: 

Alex J. Cavanaugh - Alex J. Cavanaugh

PK Hrezo  -  PK HREZO 

Father Dragon Writes  - Father Dragon Writes

Bards and Prophets - Bards and Prophets

The Write Game - The Write Game

Ellie Garratt -  Ellie Garratt

klahanie - klahanie

Julie Flanders -Julie Flanders 

In High Spirits - In High Spirits

Mainewords - Mainewords

For the correct cover, rules, and prize list, go to Lexa Cain’s blog -
Lexa Cain

Soul Cutter releases from MuseItUp Publishing on December 6, 2013. 
MuseItUp Publishing

And away we go.  A posting puzzle pleasantly perusing possibilities.....

Time For Some Links, Me Thinks.

Once again, I'm not going to be so presumptuous as to figure I should apologise for not posting for a few days.  I get a chuckle out of those who apologise.  I shall apologise for actually doing a posting.  How about that.

Let's make this an informative posting.  Have a few links and ask a few questions at the end.  That should work.

My dear friend, Delores, has moved her main blog site to the following location.  So those who wondered where Delores is, here she is : Under The Porch Light  It would be very nice, if you weren't aware of her main blog, to go and pay her a visit.  Thank you.

My dear friend, Heather, after a time on focusing on furthering her career prospects, after going through a traumatic time the previous year, has told me she's going to start blogging again.  I promised that I would provide a link to her site.  Here it is and fulfilling, therapeutic writing, Heather : Soundoff

My intellectual buddy, David, who has little recognition, is a most articulate writer and brings up important issues in regards to mental health.  I do hope you check David out, who can be discovered here : A Day in the Life

Announcing the return of Barry aka "bazza".  After a bit of a time out, Barry has returned with his own unique, informative style.  You can find bazza, here : To Discover Ice

For beautiful art work, you can visit Suzanne Bean's site, which is a written and visual delight, here : Art by Suzanne Bean

For some more incredible art work and thoughtful words, please check out Joanne Rose, who can be found here : joanne rose

I now have a new blogging buddy.  Because my new blogging buddy has a wiggly icon, I reckon he deserves a mention.  Can't beat a wiggly icon.   DAVID WALSTON can be seen here at this site : Blah Blah Blah Yackity Smackity.  You can tell him Dr. Who sent you.

Our good friend, Jeffrey, as you might well know, has been going through a very sad, reflective time, with much dignity and wisdom.  I know the blogging community has been reaching their hearts out to Jeffrey.  If you haven't checked out his latest posting, you can read it here : Strands of Pattern

On Sunday, October 20, you may have realised that it was our remarkable young buddy, Lenny's birthday. The delightful Hilary did a detailed post about him.  If you haven't read Hilary's posting about Lenny, I hope that you do. Hilary's blog is located here : Positive Letters....inspirational stories....

Then there's Pat in the Hatt and his rhyming cat.  Seems to me that Pat, the cat, rhyme all the time and that's not a crime.  If you've never read such poetry, go and see, what those two, do at their zoo.  Here you be, the link from me :  It's Rhyme Time

Any questions from you to me?
Let me see

Going Under The Porch Light
To your delight

Checking out Soundoff
Your hat you shall doff

A Day in the Life
His site to arrive

To Discover Ice
Isn't that nice

Art by Suzanne Bean
Know what I mean

joanne rose
Art and prose

Blah Blah Blah Yackity Smackity
Yackity yack, don't look back

Strands of Pattern
And a glowing lantern

Positive Letters....inspirational stories....
Tales to please....to put you at ease

It's Rhyme Time
Well, ring my chime

Missed anything?  Right then, you can always visit the ninja dude aka : Alex J. Cavanaugh

Y'all In This Together? Eh?

Greetings, yes it me, Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!  I can hardly believe what's happening in Britain.  Are the North American humans taking over?

For instance, look at the chap in the above photo.  It seems he's waiting for an alien spacecraft to land. Maybe it flew him over to Britain.  Yes, I've found out that Mark Carney, from Canada, is now the Governor of the Bank of England.  I know my human made mention of this before and I've decided to see how he's doing.

Mr. Carney is going to try and get the British economy stimulated.  Along with the opening of thousands upon thousands of Tim Hortons restaurants in the UK, he's apparently going to bring in the "feel good factor" by having National Hockey League games broadcast live on British television.  Then British folks can get real excited and say things such as, "I turned on the telly to watch a fight and an ice hockey game broke out..." 

It's also rumoured that Mark will be introducing "The Loonie" to Britain.  No, not Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister of Canada.  Yes, as in the Canadian one dollar coin with a "Loon" on it.  Mark's philosophy, "Just say lots of 'ehs' everyday!" 

You might have realised that, Jim Messina, the campaign manager for Barack Obama, has been hired by the Conservative Party in Britain for the next general election.  Yes, that's Jim in the above photo looking like he's crapped himself.  The election has to be held by no later than May 7, 2015.

Imagine the conversation with the above buffoon aka David Cameron, aka Prime Minister of Britain and Jim Messina.  They talk campaign propaganda.  Sorry, they talk campaign strategy.   No, they talk campaign propaganda.  The above campaign slogan in the photo was suggested by David Cameron.

David says to Jim, "I'm a big fan of your music and that stuff you did with Kenny Loggins was heavy rock, dude!"  Jim responds, "I'm not that Jim Messina!  The number of folks I've had to explain that to!  Anyhow, Mr. Cameron, we need a strategy to get you elected again.  How about something like, "Y'all in this together."?"  "I've already tried that, Jim." replied David.  "We called it, "We're all in this together!"  What I actually meant was that we'd target the poor, the vulnerable, the sick, the disabled, those with mental health issues, to pay for the mistakes of the incompetent fortunate."

"Okay, this is gonna' be tough one!  You'll have to pay me even more money.  Yes sir, money before morals." Jim stated.  "I shall see what I can do." said David.  "Oh, by the way, are you going to have a reunion with Kenny Loggins?", said the buffoon.  And David, the buffoon. starts to sing, "And it's all because you mama don't dance and your daddy don't rock and roll..."

The chap on the extreme right of the above photo is Prime Minister David Cameron.  The chap on the left?  I have no idea.

May 7, 2015.  The dawn of a new reality in Britain.  A land where the ideals of an all different, all equal diverse society will be realised.

Fast Forwards To The Awards.

Hey, check this out.  I got me the "Sunshine Award."  And couldn't we use a bit of sunshine.  The lovely, Yolanda, at  DEFENDING THE PEN, bestowed this honour, or honor, on my humble self. You might have realised that Yolanda has announced the published arrival of her latest book, "Memories of Murder." You can find info regarding her book, here : Memories of Murder .  And her previous book, here : Murder, Madness & Love

First of all, I have to put you to sleep by answering the following ten questions.

1 : Favourite colour?  Fifty shades of grey.  No, I mean green, sometimes blue, sometimes red.  

2 : Favourite animal?  Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar!   She is true demonstration of the non-judgemental, unconditional love that our animal friends share with us.

3 : Favourite number?  The number between 68 and 70.

4 : Favourite non-alcoholic drink?  A & W Root Beer.

5 : Favourite alcoholic drink?  I don't consume alcoholic drinks.

6 : Facebook or Twitter?  'Farcebook', actually.  Everybody's favourite social 'notworking' site.  

7 :  Passions?  Yes please.  Writing as a therapeutic and shared experience.  Reducing the unfair stigma that still surrounds mental health issues.  Almost any sport.  Especially, the egg and spoon race which I have an undefeated record.  

8 : Prefer giving or getting presents?  Getting presents.  Just give me loads of presents.  Ignore that.  I much prefer to give presents and watch the um joyous reaction of the person receiving it.  Okay, so you don't like the tacky jumper?  

9 : Favourite city?  I have a few that I have much fondness for.  London, England.  Seattle in Washington State.  Portland in Oregon.  San Francisco in California.  However, my favourite city is Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.  

10 : Favourite TV shows?  The Penny the Jack Russell Dog and Modest Internet Superstar Variety Talk Show.  Coronation Street.  Second City Television.  

*Laughs uncontrollably!*

 Here are the rules.

1 : Include the award's logo in a post or in a blog.  

2 : Link to the person who nominated you.

3 : Answer ten questions about yourself.

4 : Nominate ten bloggers.

5 : Link your nominees to the post and comment on their blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

Never mind the rules.  I struggle to forward on awards because I reckon that I might have overlooked somebody and thus hurt their feelings.  Don't want to do that.  

I'm grateful to Yolanda for thinking of me.  I'm honoured she would think of me as worthy of the award. Thank you,  Yolanda.  Wishing you much success, happiness and fulfilment with your writing endeavours. 

May sunshine fill our days.  

And have a look at this one.  Yes, it's the, Super Blogger Award!  This award has a beauty in its simplicity. Our good friend and one heck of a blogger dude, Mark Means, has given me what should become, if not already, a highly coveted award.

I'd been on Mark's short list for sometime.  I appreciate that he would think of me.  Mark, I was truly flattered by all the kind things you said about me.  A big thanks for all you do in the blogging community, good sir.

I know you want to finish the book you're writing.  All it needs is an ending.  May your dream become a reality.

"The "rules" (more like guidelines, really, yaaaarrrrrr!) are simple:

Take the award for yourself, then pass it along to someone who inspires you or you just think is 'super' in one way or another. Tell us why you think that person is super and deserving. Now, all the recipient has to do is reveal a (as in one) small secret about themselves (super people always tend to have a secret or two, right?) and pass the reward on to someone they think is deserving."

One small secret about myself?  I wear stilettos.  No, not really, well maybe....Okay, I was a grade eight class president in my high school.  I was giving a serious speech in front of the class.  Several of my classmates were giggling.  I was confused.  Then I looked down and noticed my trouser zipper was undone.

Yes, I copied and pasted the "rules".  Making a choice for this thoughtful award is easy.  There is a young fellow who has touched the hearts and minds of many of us.  A young fellow who inspires and his inspiration is a poignant reminder of how blessed I truly am.  Our young friend, Lenny, is having his birthday on October 20.  Lenny is going to be fourteen.  Those of you who know Lenny and those of you who haven't been touched by his profound spirit, I would kindly ask that you visit Lenny's blog and wish him the most happiest of birthdays.  You can find our young friend, here : Lenny's World

Lenny, this award is for you.  If you so wish, you can just put up a photo of the award on your blog.  Penny the Jack Russell dog and modest internet superstar and myself, wish you a wonderful birthday, Lenny.

Our dear friend, Nancy, forwarded on the "Wonderful Team Member Readership Award" to me, yes me, humble as ever, me.  

*Giggles* 

  Here are the rules.

1. The nominee of The Wonderful Team Member Readership Award shall display the logo on his/her blog.
2. The nominee shall nominate (up to) 14 readers they appreciate over a period of 7 days, all at once or little by little; linking to their blogs; and telling them about it at their blogs.
3. The nominee shall name his/her Wonderful Team Member Readership Award nominees on a post during 7 days..

Good  grief!  As many as fourteen readers?  Didn't know I even had that many readers. Anyway, I'm also undecided with who to forward this award onto.  Which means, once again, I shall not create a dilemma and know that I like you, I really, really like you.

Also, if you look back up on the right side, you will notice the, "Sunshine Award."  Nancy, was also very kind to bestow that award to me.  Two awards at once from Nancy.  Nancy, you spoil me. Seriously, dear lady, thank you for both awards.

If you haven't visited Nancy's blog, you can discover her here : Writer's Mark.  You can find out about Nancy's published books, here : Nancy's Books

Once again, thank you, Yolanda, Mark and Nancy.  I'm sorry it took so long to actually post up the awards. The busy life of a celebrity, eh.  Happy writing to you all.

A Breakthrough Opening To Escalation.

It's my pleasure to reveal the reveal of the cover reveal of Stephen Tremp's final instalment in his, "The Adventures of Chase Manhattan", trilogy.  Besides, this way, I get out of doing one of my eagerly anticipated postings.  So, just below this sentence you will notice a photograph of the cover art for Stephen's cover reveal.

Here it is.  The cover reveal for, "ESCALATION  The Adventures of Chase Manhattan."  The cover was designed by his nephew,  Jeremy Tremp .  Jeremy also did the cover art for, "Breakthrough" and "Opening."  

Stephen is hoping to have the book released by the end of October.

Escalation Synopsis: 

“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones” - Albert Einstein  

In Escalation, the final installment to Stephen Tremp’s Breakthrough Trilogy, a seemingly innocent discovery in Einstein-Rosen Bridges, or wormholes, becomes a Pandora’s Box—opening doors to other unexpected and unpredictable realities such as parallel universes, time/space travel, and an evil hitchhiker from another dimension. 

Chase Manhattan has survived attempts on his life from numerous sources in his effort to destroy the technology. But he is far from safe. Now Chase and his comrades must not only break world renowned physicist Professor Nicholas Fischer out of prison a second time, but also smuggle him across hostile borders in Europe and the Middle East to prevent events threatening to spiral into World War III. 

At stake: an end to Western civilization as we know it. The result: an epic clash where science and the supernatural take center stage, vying for mankind’s destiny. The setting is global as the world divides into an East vs. West climactic battle. The action is swift, adrenaline-charged, and non-stop. Unending twists and turns will keep the reader turning pages and wanting more. 

Together, Breakthrough, Opening, and Escalation follow the lives of the unlikely participants from innocence to a coming of age through sacrifice, betrayal, passion, lust, unconditional love, and hope. Escalation will appeal to fans of modern-day science fiction, action, and horror. 

Escalation Short Synopsis: 

Together, Breakthrough, Opening, and Escalation follow the lives of the unlikely participants from innocence to a coming of age through sacrifice, betrayal, passion, lust, unconditional love, and hope. Escalation will appeal to fans of modern-day science fiction, action, and horror. 

Other Blurbs: 

ESCALATION: an epic clash where science and the supernatural take center stage for mankind’s destiny. The setting is global and the adrenaline-charged action is non-stop. 

ESCALATION is cued from current world events and scientific breakthroughs. Great cover, plot, editing, and reviews. Wormholes too! 

ESCALATION speaks to our generation with its technological breakthroughs and struggle to use for good or for evil. 

You can discover Stephen's blog, here : Author Stephen Tremp

On Farcebook, sorry, Facebook, here : Stephen Tremp

On Twitter, here : twitter.com/Stephen Tremp

Wishing you the very best, Stephen.