Here are the Sneak Previews!

I was going to put them on the side bar, but it didn't work out the way I want it to. So I'll just list them here. Please feel free to comment on it! The more critiques I get for my book the better. I would like to warn you that the Angel Diaries excerpt is particularly bloody and graphic.


Here's the first chapter of V:

Chapter One

The pale goddess emerged, the blood rivulets sliding down her neck, breasts, stomach and thick thighs. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it arounf her midsection and emptied out the blood tub with a simple pop.

She tisked, the beautiful white tub that once was is now a dusky romantic rose color. “Gretal!”

The maid came instantly. “Yes ma’am?”

“Clean this tub thoroughly.”

“Of course.” Gretal started looking under the cabinets and grabbed the rough sponge.

The women took one look in the mirror and hissed, then looked closer. Dammit, another wrinkle. She pulled out the organic scrub and took a blood stained sheet and mixed it together. She knew it was the only sheet left, but that damned spot . . .

A smile slowly formed across her luscious pink lips. What was she afraid of? New freshman were coming to Vathory High. Perfect opportunity for more.

A small trickle of blood was on her finger and she licked it off, cleanly. Delicious. Perfection. Metallic. Soon there will be more. If only those poor little dears knew . . . A bitter laugh escaped her wide mouth. She didn’t know and she turned out fine. Well, almost. 

Here's the sneak preview for Angel Diaries: Volume One

Prologue

The wind played skillfully with her hair as she walked down the aisle. To him and his family, she was absolutely perfect. She was the goddess among mortals in her untouchable innocent white dress, and by the time she recited her wedding vows, the crowd was under her spell. When the new husband and wife walked down the aisle with smiles all around, until He came. His laughter broke the trance-like state that the goddess rained them in. The audience turned around, panic-stricken, knowing that laugh. A thick fog trickled their ankles and their spines. Then among the mysterious fog, their eyes spotted the dark figure of the man.

And when his dark golden eyes landed on the bride, he cracked the most horrible slow grin. His footsteps thudded and crushed the spring flowers and rose petals with a bone crushing snap. The husband stood in front of his bride, protecting his love, his other half in selfless love. The monster laughed and simply blinked. The new husband was flung across the breezy field, with the simple power of the mystery man’s mind. The bride froze but He was there in an instant then whispered something in her ear. Instantly the bride relaxed then the heart-wrenching screaming began.

He took both sides of her head and literally, slowly tore the once beautiful goddess, into two bloody halves. He tore open her scalp, ripping through the fresh hot blood, the capillaries, the veins, the tissues, then to the beloved bones protecting her once lovely brain. He went through the skull with such ease and grace, yet it cracked loudly under his slick precision and pressure then he continued through the rest of the body. Everybody was yelling, and shouting, forever tainted with the horrible sight of the lovely wife turned horrendous. Her screams never forgotten as he ripped her apart.

When her body stood in two bloody pieces and one of the halves disappeared along with the monster who destroyed the bride. The other half of her body simply fell onto the ground with a quiet thud. When reaching his lavished palace, he made the pride whole again with his magic and made her his prisoner. He tortured her in his own way, making her do his every bidding. Maybe through ripping her flesh or through forced sex, the fresh new bride had to do everything his way until one kind day, he set her free. Freedom was the word on her lips as she found herself in a home, an empty home for her to fill up with joy and happiness for being saved.

However, when the wave of happiness passed she realized two things, both wonderful but at the same time a curse. He stole everything from her. She had no identity, no real home, and certainly no family. Her family, her friends, and even her new husband were gone. She crumbled to the floor, shivering at what had become of her life but another came to light, only a few months later. She was pregnant. With a girl, a beautiful girl who she would love and enjoy for years to come. Even when the baby grew into her teenage years, and right there, my friends, is where the story begins . . .

And here's the last sneak preview of Iwishacana/Acanawishi:

Chapter One/Iwishacana

Laura's heart beat picked up with each step she took to the past she most desperately avoided. When she creaked the door open to the attic, she winced as a torn picture stared at her; it mocked her in its apparent youth when she lost her own twenty years ago. Laura picked it up as her wedding band glittered in the dim light. She shook her head as she looked at her own energetic smile. Her own bright brown eyes and the wonderful stick figure that she missed so much since having two children ruined it.

Then Laura squinted at the bright shiny marching band uniform that had shined so bright people squinted every time they saw her up close. Laura then caressed the other half of the picture that was hopelessly lost forever; she shivered as she remembered the night her husband ripped it off cruelly in one of the many fights they had since the course of her marriage.

She couldn’t fail to forget the smoky blue-green eyes and the beautiful black locks of his hair brushing her own thick brown hair as they half hugged each other in the picture. She put the picture back into the crusty old box then smiled faintly when she saw another picture, Rosella, her best friend from high school. However as she glanced the second person in picture, her teeth set on age as the traitor’s name burned past her lips, “Brittnay.” The picture curled rightly into her fist immediately at the thought about the past with her in high school.

The same girl who lied about her identity and tried to blow up a dimension that Laura didn’t even know existed until exactly twenty years ago. Today was the anniversary of the day Iwishacana opened its golden streets to her. She remembered the magnificent colors of the people which were brighter than any rainbow. All the people of Iwishacana didn't catch her staring, except for one man, the brown one: Christopher. He's the father of the boy without a picture, Chris, and, the traitor, Brittnay.

Chris brought her into his apartment and showed her what Iwishacana was all about: Wishes coming true. With one simple wish anything can come true. She wished for telekinesis and instantly Laura was moving things with her mind. However, as fast as she entered Iwishacana, she left. Laura had no idea what Brittnay was planning or even thinking as Brittnay stole the only access into Iwishacana. Her ring.

Laura dropped the picture when seeing the silver ring with sapphires that hummed when she touched it. The ring gleamed brighter than she has ever seen it before as it whispered the ancient words that she missed so much: Iwishacana. Laura bit back the tears as the promise came back whispering into her ears: On the day Chris and I save Iwishacana, there will be no looking back and no tears. Iwishacana isn’t part of me anymore. It could never be. Laura threw the ring back in the box then ran down the stairs and whispered the final words, “It’s our thing, Iwishacana, and I can never return back to her. Never.”  

Introductions Are In Order . . .

You know how it is when you stand up in church and welcomed as a visitor and you really don't know what to say?

That's how I feel right now.

I know introductions are in order, but how does one introduce themselves to the world?

Hi world, this is a newcomer coming to the block and no need to know my name? Off.

Hi world. My name is Larissa and this is my blog. Come often! Well that's more spot on I suppose.

Or maybe I'm just overcomplicating things as per usual. I guess some of my fellow readers can attest to that nature. Maybe not. Anyway, welcome to my blog, A Three Way Tie.

Now I know you're wondering: What's this blog all about? Three Way Tie? What in God's green earth is that? Well, to sum it up, I'll be blogging about three things: Teaching, Self-Publishing and books. As you can probably guess, I'm on my way to becoming a teacher. I'm about to graduate Hampton University, Not My Home by the Sea, in a week. I'm still kinda in shock. Unfortunately, I'll be coming back to this place I have to call my home for graduate school. Yippee. Can you feel my excitement? Seriously, can you feel the sarcasm coming through the computer? Good, just checking. I'll be doing that alot: Joke, add sarcastic comments that underlie my annoyance at various issues. Moving right along.

Self-Publishing is a hot topic right now, especially with the recent upset about the bestseller moving from a legacy publishing, as J.A. Konrath says it, to self-publishing. It defintely raised some eyebrows on my end. Five years ago that would never have happened and now it's a completely different story. All I've got to say on that subject is good for him.

Speaking of J.A. Konrath, he has inspired me along with Professor Walker to try self-publishing on Amazon. Right now I'm considering three different young adult novels. Most of what I write is fantasy, paranormal and some thriller stuff in between. Of course, there will be some romance in it as well since I am a hopeless romantic. Maybe after some time I'll write erotica. You never know. If you want to check it out or have a peek before it goes on the shelf, it should be on the side bar. The three novels I'm considering are: V, Angel Diaries: Volume One, and Iwishacana/Acanawishi.

You wanna know the reason why now, why self-publishing? It's very simple. I was completely prepared to go through the traditional process. Fellow writers know it. Finding agents and publishers, line them up on sheets of papers and send them your stuff. I got to the Preditors and Editors website and realized I've had enough of this cycle. It's all catered to them. I have to slave away on a novel, present it to them for acceptance and then get nothing back. I give, give, give and receive nothing in return. Sometimes I don't even get a response from them. And if I do it's usually one simple word: No. Or a form letter rejection. I bought all of these books to help me get accepted by them and what has it gotten me? No where. I'm tired of a simple no when I know that I'm talented.


When I put Angel Diaries on Critique Circle, people have told me that they would pay to read the rest. I had a loyal following every time I posted the story on the website. Not only that but I was offered a publishing contract for it.

Don't look so shocked! I'm not Barry Eisler but I did turn down the contract. Why? Wrong time, wrong place in my life. Other issues as well but that's in the past now. I'm looking towards the future and it's in self-publishing. I know there are some nay sayers wondering what in the world am I thinking, not to mention I use to be one of them. I was in complete denial but it's now time for me to shine. Time for my work to actually be given the chance it deserves. So I'm going to try it.

I'm still coming up with book covers at the moment and editing the heck out of them right now. Mostly grammar and plot line stuff but once I get it straight, it'll be online. I won't say when because it's three novels and one of them isn't finished. V is being particularly stubborn about not being finished. Idk why but I'm working on it. Anyway, the books will be on the web probably during the summer and that's all I'll say about that. At least for today. I'll probably complain or talk about the writing process a little bit.

I fully admit it: I love books. I think everybody who knows me knows that I love books. You would recognize me by looking at my hands before looking at my face. I'll either have a book in my hands or a pen. I've developed this habit very young. I use to walk the halls with a book in my hand back in middle school. I actually started writing in middle school when an English teacher instructed the class to write a poem. Been hooked ever since.

Speaking of poems, I have a whole collection of poems I might publish but I'm debating. Who buys poem collections anymore? I sure don't. I'm open to any suggestions on that subject. Anyway back to my obsession to books. From time to time, I'll probably put up some book reviews since I'll be reading like crazy this summer. Why? That goes back into the whole teaching segment.

Has anyone heard of Donalyn Miller, The Book Whisperer?

Well, for the people who haven't, basically her book is about how she had her students read any book they wanted for fifteen minutes of classroom time every day of school. By doing this, their reading has improved by leaps and bounds. Some people who claimed to hate reading ended up loving it by the end of the year. I realized once I finished the book that I wanted the same thing in my classroom. I wanted to spread my love of reading and writing to my future students.

Therefore, between this year and the next I'll be building a classroom library for my students which means more reading on my part. However, this is a precautioneary measure to make sure the students have something to read so there won't be any excuses. You can tell I'm going to be a tough teacher already, huh? :) At least I hope I will. Not a mean teacher, just strict in a fair way type of teacher.

So you can already see I'm going to have quite a busy summer between my teacherly duties and self-publishing those books. It should be an interesting adventure and I can only hope you guys and gals will join me for the ride!